Veil of War
by ShadowsEmbrace13
Summary: Life is often seen as a series of coincidences. However, when one group find themselves in a separate world, their personal view of life is altered forever. With a war on the horizon, there is the choice of whether or not to get involved. Soon they realise that their answer is irrelevant and that the war is more complex than they originally thought. 'Destiny's Web: Bk II'
1. First Contact

**AN: In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

 _What are souls?_

 _For many years, they are thought to be what separated humans from other animals. Now it is thought that some animals have souls too. Is there a way to tell? How does one measure a soul?_

 _Completely amoral people are thought to have no soul by some. Others believe that they do, though that it is evil. Would that mean that some are born evil or that certain events made them that way? Does that mean that people are all born with a pure soul?_

 _Do bodies have souls or do souls have bodies?_

* * *

The day had started out ordinary. Nothing strange about waking up; nothing odd about breakfast; nothing interesting happened during Professor Port's Grimm Studies class. Blake and Melody's head to head ended in Blake's favour during Combat Class. That lost Ruby five lien, but it was to Mercury so it wasn't a problem as he tended to spend it on them on days out anyway. Doctor Oobleck still talked at the speed of a bullet, which made taking notes a little difficult, but that wasn't new.

That night though was different.

It even started differently, with Ruby deciding to get her homework out of the way the day she got it, despite being due in a week's time. Usually, she waited a few days, although she had learnt at Signal not to leave it until the night before. It was like a universal rule that something happened, such as the printer breaking, if she left it the night before.

She still snickered on how the other three of her team had learnt that lesson from Dad. Doubly amusing for Emerald and Mercury as they hadn't even had any homework to do.

Mercury was on their bed reading a comic book while Yang had managed to convince Emerald into one of their fighting games. The little aura kitten was curled up on Emerald's lap (which Yang had dubbed 'Merkitty'). The sisters normally won, unless they were playing each other, but the few times Emerald did, they wondered if she was cheating. They never called her out on it as they couldn't figure out exactly how they were being distracted.

It was obvious what distracted both of them in their third game though. There was an eerie purple glow in the courtyard.

Naturally, they went to check it out.

It looked like a little purple flame with a red tip and a blue base was just floating a few feet off the ground in front of the statue. It was about a metre tall and burnt like normal fire. Ruby had never seen anything like it.

"Okay, I'll bite. What is that?" Apparently, Mercury hadn't either.

"It is pretty," Yang answered, reaching out to poke it.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Emerald commented, stepping back in case Yang did touch it and it exploded.

"I agree," Blake said from Ruby's other side. None of them jumped; they were used to Blake silently sneaking up on them by now. Her team weren't as stealthy, although Ren did come close. However, as he normally had Nora with him, she counted for far more than three people.

Said girl was circling the bizarre flame when a huge grin broke out. "Let's smash it."

"Let's not," Ren responded simply. Nora cracked her fingers, but didn't smash it with her hammer.

Zephyr looked at the flame, then looked at his friends. "I take it ignoring it isn't going to happen."

Seven voices answered, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. "No."

"Then what do you want to do with it? Put in a jar?"

"I wonder what marshmallows would taste like it we used that to heat them," Ruby mused. Zephyr's idea did have merit.

"I draw the line at campfire songs." Mercury liked that thought as well.

"Tough. You're going to hear them." Ruby was going to get to him to sing along somehow. She just had no idea how.

As the group had been talking, the red from the tip had been spreading down while the blue from the base had been spreading up. It took a few minutes, but they met halfway, resulting in a black line across.

For the humans, everything went white.

"Okay who did something?"

"Don't look at me."

Unknown to them, they weren't the only ones.

* * *

Harry wandered rather aimlessly around the empty corridors. It was past curfew, but he wasn't tired and wanted to stretch his legs. He preferred the castle when it was empty of students. Four years on and he still wasn't used to their pointing and staring. He had thought they would have given up by now.

If it wasn't for his invisibility cloak, he would have snapped quite a while ago.

Potions had been dreadful as usual and McGonagall had been in a bad mood since someone had decided to charm the first year matchsticks to sing some Scottish folk song. He guessed he slept through History of Magic as he remembered practically blinking and the lesson had ended.

Why did he even bother going to that class?

He found himself in the Entrance Hall. Pushing the doors to the Great Hall open, he stared down at the Goblet. It hadn't looked like much before, but now it majestic. There was no sound to its flame. A silent judge for the Tri-Wizard Champions.

That couldn't be Harry. He was pretty relieved about that.

Seeing as he was close, he decided to go visit Hagrid. It was past curfew and Hagrid was a professor, but if Harry had the cloak then it wasn't a problem. Neither really had the time to visit much in the day anyway unless they were in Care of Magical Creatures and Hagrid was always up for visitors.

He didn't get that far. He got about halfway. Something colourful caught his attention. Then his vision went white for a few seconds.

Harry rubbed his eyes. Once he was sure he was seeing properly, he looked around. There was only one thing different. To be fair, it was a very serious difference.

There were people on the grounds that hadn't been there before.

Hermione always said it was impossible to Apparate to and from Hogwarts. Normally, she was right. He hadn't heard anything though, so maybe it wasn't Apparation and it was something that was possible. Maybe that colourful thing had something to do with it, like some sort of teleporter. Professor Dumbledore would probably know. In fact, he should be told there were people on the grounds, if he wasn't aware of it already.

Curious, Harry approached cautiously. Provided he was careful, they shouldn't know he was there.

"Is everyone alright?" A male and mature voice.

"No problems here." More high pitched and definitely female. She was also younger.

"No one's hurt." Another male, but also younger than the first one.

Harry was close enough to see details now. There were quite a few of them. A mental headcount gave him 8 younger ones, about Fred and George's age, and 3 adults. He wasn't going to try and guess their ages.

"Anyone know where we are?" Another girl's voice. Harry really needed names.

"Well, we're not at Beacon, that's for sure."

 _Beacon?_

"A castle like that is going to stick out though. That's a busy tourist attraction right there."

Hermione had also said muggles can't see Hogwarts, but these guys could. Did that mean they were magical? They certainly didn't dress like it, but they also didn't dress like any muggles Harry had seen either. Well, some of them did and some of them didn't. They certainly would have stuck out in magical Britain.

"Professor Ozpin?" That was the higher pitched voice again. "Do you know where we are?"

"I don't Ruby. What I do know is that there is no castle like that in any of the Kingdoms."

 _Somehow, I don't think he's talking about the United Kingdom._

The oldest among them was Professor Ozpin. Maybe he was a teacher. The smallest one was called Ruby. Given the ages, maybe this was a class outing…that had somehow managed to wander into Hogwarts. That was stupid.

They were still barely beyond silhouettes. Harry altered his course onto the gravel so he could use the light from Hagrid's Hut.

"What about outside the Kingdoms?" Back to strange voices.

"Any castle like that would be a great defence for a strong empire. It would not be far outside the Kingdom it belonged to. I do not believe it belonged to any Kingdom." That was one of the adult women.

"So what? We're not even in Remnant anymore?"

One of the males suddenly looked straight at him. Harry froze, keeping his breathing quiet. After a few moments, his eyes flickered a little, but his gaze stayed in Harry's general area. He must have heard him move.

"Mercury? Something wrong?" Ruby again.

"I thought I heard something." Mercury hadn't spoken yet, but he was one of the ones dressed fairly normally if it wasn't for arm guards.

"Probably just a mouse." Harry didn't know that voice.

"Maybe. So why do I feel like I'm being watched?"

Harry knew that feeling. It had served him well. Most people thought that they were imagining things, but obviously this Mercury didn't think so. As long as Harry stayed under the cloak, they couldn't see him. Still, if Mercury heard him when he was moving while the others were talking, he would definitely hear him step off the gravel.

"I don't see anything." Harry didn't know that voice either, but wanted the others to listen to it.

Ruby didn't. She moved four steps towards him and stopped. "Where Mercury?"

"There's nothing to see Ruby." That was another girl, one with a bow in her hair. "But now I think about it, I heard something as well. Footsteps. There's someone there we can't see."

How had they come to that conclusion? Most people thought if they couldn't see it, it couldn't exist and that they were imagining things. Why did these guys not think the same?

One girl began to draw a weapon from a holster on her back. The bow girl reached up behind her for something.

Harry's wand was in his hand. His cloak made him invisible. It didn't make him invincible.

"Weapons away. If they haven't attacked by now, they're not going to. 11 against 1 are not good odds." Professor Ozpin might have just saved Harry's life then.

"How do we know there's only one?" Mercury asked. His weapon wasn't obvious if he had one. "It could be technology, not a Semblance."

'Technology' was a word Harry was familiar with. 'Semblance' was not. At least, not in the way he used it.

Now Harry had a bit of a problem. He couldn't really move without them noticing. On the other hand, someone needed to know there were strangers around the castle. The only other thing he could try other than sneak away would be to introduce himself.

 _Gryffindors charge ahead._

If he was wrong, he wouldn't live to regret it. Hopefully Mad Eye wouldn't hear about this. Harry pulled off the cloak.

"It's technology, Mercury," answered the girl with the bow. Her hand dropped back to her side. "I can see him now. He looks about Ruby's age."

The bow girl could see in the dark; Harry would love to have eyes like that.

" _Lumos_." The wand lit up.

Harry could see some objects that he had no idea how they worked. The weapons he could understand looked like something a muggle would use, but then one of the women had what looked like a wand or a whip. He couldn't tell at this angle.

He wasn't bothered by their curiosity like he normally would be. These guys were looking at someone who had been invisible a second ago and had seemed to think was a threat. He understood that. He would probably be the same.

What Harry also noticed is that not one of them looked at his scar.

"Who are you?" Harry asked. He didn't understand most of their conversation, but that wasn't really new since he had entered the wizarding world. Best to ask a question that normally had a simple answer.

"We are professors and students of Combat Schools." Professor Ozpin seemed to have acknowledged they weren't where they should be. "And what is your name?"

"Harry Potter." No reaction. Finally. "Combat Schools? What are they for? Are they like police?" Harry knew he probably should have said Aurors, but he wasn't convinced they were magical. Besides, it was easier for him to relate to muggle things. He still wasn't sure the difference between Hit Wizards and Aurors.

"No. Huntsman and Huntresses are different from the police force. They are trained to be warriors, mostly commonly against Grimm." Professor Ozpin must have seen Harry's confusion. "These are creatures of chaos that are drawn to negativity. They kill any human they can catch."

Sounded like their world was full of dementor like creatures. That did explain their weapons at least.

"What's Remnant?" They knew he had been listening in.

"Remnant is what we call our world. What do you call yours?"

That wasn't easy. "Depends what you mean. The planet we live on we call Earth. It's, well, it's sort of separated into the magical and muggle worlds. The two don't tend to interact." That's what he thought anyway. He wasn't sure, but Mr Weasley was supposed to be an expert on muggle stuff and he didn't even recognise their money.

"Magical world?" That was Ruby. "You mean actual magic?"

"Sure." Harry gestured to his wand. "That's what this is. People from the magical world can use magic, muggles can't."

"So you can use magic to do anything?"

"Well, there are rules. This is a light charm." An idea came to him. "I can show you something else if you want. It's not harmful." It was also a good example for muggles.

"Please."

Harry could tell that, despite not disagreeing with Ruby, some of the others were on edge, so he pointed his wand back to the castle. He did not want to get shot. " _Expecto Patronum_."

Prongs jumped out of his wand. His hooves made no sound of the gravel as he trotted around.

"A Patronus can be difficult even for someone magically powerful." According to Professor Lupin anyway. "They are fuelled by happy memories. There are creatures in our world that feed on happiness and a Patronus is the only defence."

Prongs trotted up to Ruby. She giggled and reached forward, but her hand went straight through. While corporeal, Prongs was not solid to anything other than a dementor. After Ruby's attempt, two others tried it.

"The shape a Patronus takes is unique to the person casting it."

"And if you lose focus on the memory, would the Patronus disappear?"

Harry wouldn't mind Professor Ozpin being his teacher. He liked not being spoken to like a child. "Yeah. That's why it's so difficult to do when you need to. These creatures make it nearly impossible to focus on joy."

"That's awesome! Could we do this?" That was the orange haired girl.

"I don't know. Are you magical?"

There was a brief silence. Professor Ozpin studied Prongs with interest. His eyes then went to each of his students in turn, ending with Mercury.

"I do not believe so by your understanding. However, I do not believe we are what you call muggles either. We have personal aura and aura is not magic."

"What's a Semblance?" May as well try and understand all of their conversation. Their world sounded interesting.

"We have personal aura. That aura can act as a shield or can be focused into a Semblance. A Semblance is an ability that is unique to the individual, with at least one exception where it is hereditary." Professor Ozpin then turned to the others. "Any volunteers for a demonstration?"

Ruby literally vanished from her spot. A tap on the shoulder made him look around, but there was nothing there. When he turned back, Ruby waved at him from her starting spot. Had she just Apparated? There were two of the bow girl standing there until one of them vanished.

"Cool." No wonder Prongs hadn't scared them. No wonder they believed magic existed. If that was the sort of thing someone could do, their world wasn't just interesting. It was awesome.

This wasn't their world.

"How did you get here? If this isn't your world, why did you come here?"

"Umm…We don't know. There was an odd flame in the courtyard and next minute, we're here?"

"What kind of flame, Ruby?" The woman with what was definitely a whip. Harry decided she wasn't a woman to be crossed.

"A strange one."

"It was red on the top, purple in the middle and blue on the bottom." That was one of the voices who spoke at the beginning, but the speaker hadn't been named.

"You guys seem to be a magnet for trouble," the ninja smiled.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Ruby didn't seem too happy with that accusation.

"He's got a point," the darker skinned girl responded. She had been one of the ones to go for her weapons earlier.

"I thought you were on my side, Emerald."

"I am. It's an honest observation."

Harry knew that feeling. He always seemed to get into trouble due to some really terrible luck. Then it was usually Filch or Snape that caught him. He really didn't want to get caught now. Snape would probably accuse him of bringing these people here on purpose.

"Look, I should probably take you to Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster here."

Professor Ozpin smiled. "By all means."

They began to walk.

"Your school is a castle?" the bow girl asked.

"Yeah. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you want the history of the place, you should ask my friend Hermione. All I know is that it goes pretty far back to the Middle Ages and it was founded by four people. The Houses are named after them."

"Houses?" Harry really needed names. That was the blonde girl.

"In your first year, you're separated into four Houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"Like teams?"

"Sort of. Teachers award points on good behaviour and there's a House Cup at the end of it. There's also our sport, Quidditch, which is separated into House teams."

"How many students are there?" That was Professor Ozpin again. He seemed to be in charge.

Harry actually thought about that as he pushed the front doors open again. "I don't know. There are other schools here as we're hosting a competition, but Hogwarts…" There were five boys in his year in Gryffindor, about that many girls… "Maybe a few hundred."

"And you love it here?"

"Sure. Hogwarts is my home."

Harry listened to the chatter behind him as he led the group on. All eight were good friends. They seemed to be enjoying the castle, especially the staircases. He got a few names as well. The orange haired girl was Nora, the ninja was Ren, the blonde was Yang, the bow girl was Blake and another boy was named Zephyr. He thought he heard Professor Goodwitch and guessed that was the woman with the whip. The other woman stayed pretty quiet.

Harry has also resigned himself to the fact that someone was going to catch him.

Fortunately, the first person to do so wasn't too bad. "Nearly Headless Nick."

The sight of a ghost certainly made the others go quiet. Maybe this wasn't an occurrence in their world.

"Ah, Mr Potter. You shouldn't be wandering around the corridors at this time of night, especially with Mr Filch and Professor Snape in a bad mood."

Harry had honestly never seen Mr Filch in a good mood, save maybe the end of his second year. Snape: never. "I'll head back as soon as I see Professor Dumbledore."

"I can see why and please, I do not mean to ignore you. However you have arrived at a bad time. The password is Acid Pops, Mr Potter."

"Thanks, Sir Nicolas."

Nearly Headless Nick drifted into a wall.

"Was that a ghost?" Zephyr asked. They definitely weren't a common occurrence in their world.

"Yep. There are a few of them around Hogwarts. The only one you need to watch out for is Peeves. He's an annoying jokester."

"And how do you deal with him?"

"No one really knows. The only person he answers to is the Headmaster and sometimes Fred and George. They're pranksters themselves."

Harry wasn't as lucky with the next person to see him.

"Potter!"

If he managed to get away with only a detention, he would be very lucky. Snape in a tolerable mood was deadly. Snape in a bad mood was suicidal to those who crossed his path.

"What have you done now, Potter? Scuttling around the halls like you own the place again, are you? Perhaps we have our culprit from the performance in the Great Hall?"

Both Harry and Snape knew Malfoy was behind that. "I was in the library all afternoon Professor. Feel free to ask Madam Pince." And for Harry to thank Hermione for dragging him in there in the first place.

"Don't lie to me Potter. We both know you're too much of a dunderhead to be in a library. I doubt you even know where it is. Now, shall we see the Headmaster about your expulsion?"

"If I might interrupt." Professor Ozpin.

The look on Snape's face was comical. How he had missed 11 people, even if most of them had been around the corner, was something Harry would never understand. He was the Head of Slytherin as well.

"And who might you be?" Snape didn't even try to be civil.

"A stranger who found themselves, along with some others, somewhere he did not know. Mr Potter saw us and did not want us wandering the property. He decided it was best to take us to the Headmaster, in case he was not aware of the situation."

In reality, it was a yes to the second part and a no to the first. Why couldn't Professor Ozpin have been his teacher?

"So Potter, you admit to being outside after curfew."

There were 11 strangers in Hogwarts from who knows where (a different _world_ ) and Snape was still insistent in getting him into trouble. "I saw them from the Gryffindor Common Room, Professor."

"Liar."

"It was very dark outside. It was impossible to see where he came from and we have no evidence to prove his word is a lie." Harry didn't know Professor Ozpin, but he could tell he was getting annoyed. "He saw a situation and dealt with it."

"That is what Professors are for, although Potter seems to believe-"

"If you are one of his Professors, I can fully understand and even agree with his reasoning as to why you were not approached."

 _Take that Snape._

It was really hard to keep the grin off his face.

Then it was easy when Snape raised his wand and shot a spell. Harry didn't even hear the words. He instinctively moved out of the way.

Professor Ozpin's cane hit the floor and a force field absorbed the spell. He opened his mouth, but someone dashed passed him. After the second spell left Snape's wand, Mercury rolled underneath it before tripping Snape and stomping on his hand. Snape roared, but Mercury kicked the wand away and kept his boot firmly on Snape's back.

Never mind grinning. Harry felt like cheering.

"Mercury. Let him go, but take his weapon. We will discuss this later."

With a smirk, Mercury walked over and flicked the wand into his hand. He then began to bend it a bit, making Harry wonder if he was going to snap it. It would serve the git right.

Snape was beyond furious.

"I assume as a school, especially with magic, there is an infirmary. Mr Potter was taking us to see the Headmaster. I imagine our discussion will take some time. Lead on, Mr Potter."

Recognising that he didn't want to be anywhere near Snape, Harry swiftly headed down the final corridor and was outside the gargoyle.

" _He_ is one of your teachers?" Ruby asked. She sounded disgusted.

Harry shrugged. "We're kind of stuck with him. He's normally not that bad. Acid Pops." The gargoyle hopped aside. "That's the Headmaster's Office. I'm going to head back to the tower." Preferably before Snape leaves the Hospital Wing.

"Might want to be invisible again," Emerald suggested.

"Yeah. Good idea."

* * *

 _Bizarre._

Amber wasn't sure she liked the room. The office was by no means small, but she did notice it actually enlarged itself to fit them all comfortably. Rows and rows of books lined the shelves and an old hat sat on the top of one. A sword was encased on the wall and there was a beautiful bird resting on a perch nearby.

She spotted Ruby head over to it.

"Hello."

She got a soft trill back. Ruby was smiling.

This school made Amber uneasy. It wasn't the ghosts or the lack of students, which wasn't unusual for this time at night. It wasn't until they met the teacher that she began to puzzle it out. The school just didn't feel welcoming. There was no other way to describe it.

Yang and Nora were over by the sword. Blake and Zephyr were by the books and Ren was around the devices behind the desk. Emerald and Mercury had joined Ruby over by the bird.

The teacher's weapon was lying on the desk.

Some of the children may think Mercury's reaction was extreme. She agreed, but she had also been standing directly behind him. That first light of magic would have hit Emerald had Professor Ozpin's shield not held and Mercury had reacted to that.

For a moment, Amber saw the boy that had attacked her on that road.

Then she saw the Huntsman that Qrow and Ruby had put so much effort into creating.

 _Maybe I would be more concerned if that 'teacher' didn't have it coming. I certainly wouldn't have read into any of the others attacking him._

Why had the teacher attacked Mr Potter anyway? There was certainly an unusual amount of hatred between the two of them. How much hatred was there is this castle?

"I must admit, I was not expecting visitors."

Interestingly, Amber was reminded of the old man in the Maiden fairy tale. He made Professor Ozpin look young. However, Amber did not doubt that there was quite a bit of life in him yet. The air he gave off was one of patience and friendliness. Why would a man like that hire a man like that teacher?

"We were not expecting to be here either. However, we are and we are unsure how to return home; a world like and unlike this one. One of your students discovered us on the grounds and led us here."

"If I could, I would aid in returning you home. However, I am unsure how much use I can be. We have never had travellers appear on Hogwarts grounds before. You may stay at the school if you wish, provided you are not a danger to my students."

"How about a danger to your teachers?" Mercury asked cheerfully. Ruby nudged him with a scowl. He gave her a smile.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Headmaster, it is late. I have no problems continuing this discussion but is there a place I can send my students to sleep? There is the small chance they will be by the time we are done."

"Of course. There are rooms behind the portraits in this castle. Fawkes can guide you to one. If you give the words 'Devil's Snare', it will open. If you wish to change the password, you will need to repeat those words, say 'forget' and give the new password."

"Many thanks."

Fawkes was the bird that was currently on Ruby's arm.

"Alright students." Professor Goodwitch took responsibility for them. "It is time to leave."

There was no arguing. There wasn't really much talking either. Soon, it was only herself along with Professors Ozpin and Dumbledore in the room.

"If I may ask, what did the young lad mean about being a danger to teachers?"

"Your teacher did not seem pleased to find a student leading us to your office. In fact, I am doubtful he even saw us until I spoke. Instead, he was very insulting and derogative to that student and, based on no evidence, intended to have him expelled."

Headmaster Dumbledore let out a long sigh. "I will discuss that with him. Do you know his or the student's name?"

As it happened, said teacher waltzed into the room with a perfectly functional hand. He snatched up the stick on the desk and spun to snarl at them.

"Where is that monster?"

"Continuing from where I left off, said teacher then attacked the student. Naturally, the student moved out of the way. I protected mine and one of them decided to eliminate the threat. Fortunately for the teacher, he is very good with his aim and control."

"That is a rabid animal that should be put down."

"While his actions may be extreme, they were caused by a very valid threat." Professor Ozpin's tone was flatter while Amber narrowed her eyes. She knew very little about him, but a rapid animal Mercury was not. "I do not fault him for them and would even praise his restraint. What I will discuss with him was that they were unnecessary as the situation was being handled."

"You would _reward_ that behaviour?"

"I never said that. I would merely say that he is well disciplined. It was very easy for a fatal accident to occur."

"So you agree that he is a danger?"

"He is no more of a danger than my other students if you target someone close to them."

Amber thought that was a little inaccurate, but he wasn't wrong. None of them would stand by and allow the behaviour this 'teacher' was showing.

"Severus, enough." It would seem their Headmaster didn't like this attitude either. The man narrowed his eyes, but closed his mouth. "You say 'your students'?"

"In our world, we are part of a Combat School named Beacon. While the police exist in both mine and your world, we deal with more dangerous threats. There are monsters in our world just like there are monsters in yours. If one chooses to become what we call a Huntsman or Huntress, they are often trained at Combat Schools."

"So yours is a school for training warriors that operate outside of the law?"

"While we train warriors, we certainly work within the law. As Huntsmen and Huntresses are able to kill a civilian very easily by accident, we are held to a higher standard. Our goal is the protection of our world, from known and unknown threats."

Headmaster Dumbledore placed his elbows on his desk and rested his head on his fingers, clearly deep in thought. Snape's eyes went between the two; his features blank.

After a few moments, Headmaster Dumbledore spoke again. "I'm sure it would take a great amount of time to determine the differences between our world and yours. However, my students' safety in paramount and I need to be sure your students are not a threat."

Professor Ozpin leaned his cane against the desk. "I would like to say no. However, teenagers are teenagers. One key difference between our world and yours is that certain individuals, including all Huntsmen and Huntresses have aura. Our civilians and your world do not."

"Ridiculous," Snape scoffed.

Headmaster Dumbledore ignored him. "Am I to understand that your definition of 'aura' is different to ours?"

"Our aura acts as a shield or gives us unique abilities. The main concern is that it is very easy for accidents to occur. For example one punch from a Huntress, with meaning or not, will either break that individual's leg or disfigure it completely. If he chose to, one kick from Mercury could have killed your professor."

"What?" Snape went understandably pale.

"They understand the need for restraint, but this is a school and they are teenagers. On top of that, your students don't have aura. One misunderstanding and there will be a death. A mere annoyance to Mercury would kill your students."

Headmaster Dumbledore sat back in his seat. "Although you used Mercury as an example, I assume he is not a danger?"

"Ironically, he is the least dangerous. He doesn't get riled up and has had the most training in restraining his power. The others are used to interacting with those on an equal footing as them."

Snape chose to speak next. "It may be best for the students if you were to leave."

"Perhaps," Headmaster Dumbledore agreed. "However, our magic can be just as dangerous. One tripping jinx on the stairs for example. Teenagers will be teenagers. Our students are between 11 and 17. If I may ask, what age are yours?"

"With the exception of Ruby, who is 15, the others are at least 17." Professor Ozpin waited for a few moments. "While I understand and agree with your standing, I do think there is a reason we found ourselves here. If you would aid us in that, we may find a way back home. It is very important we find a way back."

There was a huge worry. If they were here, Cinder was still on Remnant and would suddenly have found a lot of major players missing. There might not be a Remnant to return to.

"That is understandable." There was a dragged out silence there. "Our school is currently hosting a tournament called the Tri-Wizard Tournament and is home to parties from two other schools. You can see Hogwarts, so I can grant you shelter for a time. If you are still here at the end of the year, it would be wise to discuss further options then."

"Agreed. If I may ask, how does your government work? Is there one for the whole magical world or just for your continent? Mr Potter said the magical and muggle world were separate."

"He is correct. We are divided by country and have a Ministry for Magic based in London."

London? It would seem the geography was very different from what they were used to. That was to be expected; Mr Potter had never heard of Remnant.

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "I believe my students will be kept busy for quite a number of months merely learning the basics of this world, both muggle and magical." Keeping them busy would aid in keeping the number of fights down.

"We have a magnificent library for them to learn from. You are free to make use of it."

"My thanks." There was a sigh. "There is still a very high chance of our students interacting. If the magical world is separated from the muggle, how do the two sides view each other?"

"Badly," Snape responded. "Most muggles do not know we exist and some magicals look down muggles. A fight between your students and ours is inevitable."

"That is something that needs to be avoided. Perhaps a demonstration would help."

"Fear would not help."

"Fear is not my aim, but if that is how they choose to take it, then that is their choice. You have already given an example of how your magic can be dangerous. Like your school, ours was hosting an event. Students in our year groups are split into teams of 4, not Houses and we have two teams here. Collectively, they are called Remedy and Zebrina. This tournament is a friendly competition between teams from all four Combat Schools. We could give an exhibition match."

Headmaster Dumbledore smiled. "The idea has merit."

"It would have to be somewhere that collateral damage is not a problem or can be reversed. Their weapons are designed to kill monsters, even if they have a strong defence against them."

"Would it be wise to have our nurse on standby?"

"That won't be necessary. Our aura can be measured. When it drops below a certain point or shatters, the match is over. There is no lasting damage."

"Then I'm sure we can accommodate. If the Great Hall is not suitable, then the grounds would be large enough. We can put up wards to ensure the other students are not harmed."

"As much as I hate to interrupt," Snape inserted smoothly. "But as you said, we are dealing with teenagers. Does your school have discipline?"

Amber didn't like Snape and had no idea why a teacher had this kind of attitude, but he did have valid points.

"Naturally we do and we would prefer it if you left our students to us, but my concern is bullies. Every school has them, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Our way of handling them is not a way we can use here."

"And what way might that be?"

"Controlled combat between the bully and their victim or between the bully and another of their teammates. For example those targeting Ruby were treated to a 'match' with Mercury. The match lasted less than three minutes. They have not bothered anyone since. We do not condone that behaviour, but ours is a Combat School. They are encouraged to be independent. Obviously, we cannot pit our students against yours; it would not end well."

"No, it would not." Oddly, Headmaster Dumbledore was quiet for a moment. "For now I will handle my students and you handle yours. Any incidents of bullying will be dealt with at the time. If I may ask, what is your intention of your students' education?"

"If we can find somewhere suitable, then Combat Class can continue." Neither asked, but it was quite obvious. "Much of their time is going to be spent in the library. This world's history can be self-taught, although I must ask if there are any subjects that could be considered experimental that they might come across and decide to attempt."

"Potions." Snape's answer was immediate. "I have had quite a few dunderheads blow up their cauldrons in class and do not have time to instruct yours in this art."

"Potions is one that your students may manage, under supervision," Headmaster Dumbledore agreed. "Herbology is also possible. Much of that subject is not done with active spells as many plants require delicate handling, especially the lower years. I can ask Hagrid about Care of Magical Creatures. Ancient Runes might also interest them. Astronomy too." There was another silence. "Is there a philosophical question about destiny in your world?"

Amber almost smiled at the thought of destiny.

Professor Ozpin let out a laugh. "Indeed there is. It is a heavily debated topic."

"Divination is also a possible choice then. If you would like, I could provide you with some information on all the courses available?"

"If you wouldn't mind. It might also be wise to include courses they can't take, merely so they understand. A lack of understanding can lead to fear, which in turn leads to violence. If we find ourselves here for some time, it would be wise to understand some of your magic."

"There is something I am curious about. You have said 'your magic' a few times. Can I ask why?"

That was an interesting question. Professor Ozpin didn't say anything, choosing to abide by what Amber told them. She knew that RMEY were aware of magic on Remnant, but ZBRN were not. Was it wise to mention it to strangers?

"There is magic in our world that is very different from aura. That is different from your magic. This is kept hidden from the general public for safety reasons. Many believe that magic doesn't exist."

That did seem to be one of the few similarities between their worlds.

"Ah. I cannot fault that logic." The bird appeared back on its stand in a flash of fire. It trilled happily. "Fawkes here is a phoenix. Magnificent creatures. He seems to have taken a liking to the young girl. Ruby was it?" Fawkes trilled again. "Another kind of creature that live in the castle are house elves, although you won't see them unless you call one's name. They keep the castle clean and prepare the food as well. While some see it as slavery, they require a bond in order to survive. Without it, unless they are in a place of ambient magic, they will die. Tippy."

 _Tippy?_

A little creature with bat like ears and wide eyes appeared by the desk with a quiet pop. "Headmaster calls Tippy?"

"Indeed. Professor Ozpin and his companions are staying at Hogwarts for a while. Would you mind answering questions for them if they ask when they call on you?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Thank you. You may go." With another tiny pop, the creature vanished. "There are some things that honestly may not occur to us to answer because it is such common knowledge. If you require anything, feel free to call on Tippy. I will send along the course information with him by tomorrow."

"My thanks," Professor Ozpin nodded. "The hour's getting late. It may be best if we get back to our students. No doubt they will get no rest until they know what's going on."

"Rather understandable."

"Would it be a hindrance if we were to meet regularly? It may help gain a better understanding of our new situation."

"Of course."

Amber was very impressed with office, but all the hallways had that dark feeling. It was very interesting to see a castle acting as a school. It was also a very different world. There were no Grimm here. While some towns on Remnant were very simple, they did all have technology of some sort, even if it was just their scrolls.

With that thought came the understanding that their scrolls wouldn't work here. Amber was staying in Vale for the duration of the Vytal Festival. While it may be dangerous, she had decided the year before she wanted to stay in the hosting continent. Those plans had not changed, even with the knowledge it was one of the most dangerous places for her. She was always in danger.

Professor Ozpin stopped at the bottom of the stairs next to her. "Tippy?"

The little creature popped up. "Yes sir?"

"Do you know where the rest of our company is currently staying? If so, could you lead us there?"

"Yes sir. This way sir."

Tippy took them left and within minutes, they were at the staircase that constantly moved. She didn't see any cogs or anything that could be moving them. That would suggest it was their magic and that it was far more diverse than they originally thought. Maybe it was capable of their magic and what their Dust could accomplish.

"Is the school itself magical?" Professor Ozpin asked. His eyes were on a moving portrait of three people playing some sort of card game.

"Yes sir."

"Is it alive?"

The house elf looked at the Professor then. "Not the way wizards think. Is alive, but not as much. Most cannot hear her. She cares about students."

"One student said it was hundreds of years old?" Amber asked. Had its magic survived that long? Mr Potter didn't sound sure, but then she had no idea when these 'Middle Ages' were in this world's timeline.

"A thousand, miss. Hogwarts very special."

"Have there been any visits from other worlds before?" Professor Ozpin queried.

"Not in Tippy's life sir. But stories say yes. Hogwarts say yes. Wizards choose forget. They appear one day, disappear another."

They weren't the first. That meant it was possible there was a way back to Remnant. That was a huge relief. With any luck, they wouldn't be here very long. Most likely, it hadn't been in Headmaster Dumbledore's lifetime either. It sounded like it was a very long time ago.

"Do the stories say why they disappeared?"

"They were needed no more."

'Needed' was an interesting word to use. Did that mean that once they had completed some task or important event, they would be returned home?

"Is 'disappear' a word used for 'death'?"

"No sir. They here one day, gone the next. No death. House elves know."

They had had no control of being brought here and they had no control of being taken back. That did not soothe her.

Amber counted the levels. They were on the fourth floor. The torches on the walls lit as they approached and faded when they were too far away to need their light. She was curious about how the presence of students would change the atmosphere. A few hundred students did not seem large enough for this castle, even with some students from other schools.

There was the question as to how the two groups of students would react to one another.

"Amber? Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong. This school just…feels different. I'm not sure why."

"It is a different setting than most areas on Remnant. If nothing else, this will be an interesting experience."

"The question I have is why we were brought here and how."

"Agreed. I'm also curious as to why these particular people were selected."

That was a question Amber hadn't considered. She had only returned to Beacon a few days beforehand and had intended to stay for the Vytal Festival. Why Professor Goodwitch and not Professor Oobleck? Why team ZBRN rather than team JWMP?

"We here sirs," Tippy said. He was pointing at a much larger portrait of a nobleman in purple.

"Thank you Tippy."

Tippy popped away. The portrait then spoke. "I must say, I am very surprised at this turn of events. Feel free to ask questions about the history of Hogwarts to the ghosts and portraits. We are proud of our school."

"I am pleased to hear it," Professor Ozpin smiled. "I understand the password is 'Devil's snare'?"

"Indeed it is. And in case you're wondering, it is a plant." The portrait swung open as if on a hinge with a small staircase behind it. That small staircase led to rather large room furnished like a living room.

Zephyr, Blake, Ren and Yang were on the floor playing some card game with Nora next to them providing commentary. Professor Goodwitch was at one of the few desks, flicking through a book. Mercury was on the sofa with Emerald and Ruby stretched out lying side by side on top of him.

Almost as one, the students looked over.

* * *

Nearly everyone in Gryffindor had gone to bed by now. The wood in the fireplace was burning low and the occasional spark flickered up. In the seats closest to the remaining flames resided three teenagers.

Harry had never seen that look on Hermione's face before. It was a mixture of incredulity, horror, confusion and grudging amusement.

Ron was outright gleeful. "Seriously? He attacked Snape and _got away with it_?"

That snapped Hermione out of her shock. "Honestly Ron, I would think that he was in trouble with his professor. But what was he thinking?"

"It's _Snape_."

"He was attacking them Hermione," Harry pointed out. That might just be his new memory for his Patronus. "What was he supposed to do?"

"It sounds like his teacher had it handled." Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "This can't happen. It just _can't_. You cannot Apparate into Hogwarts. And they claim to be from a _different world_? It just can't happen."

"It did."

"Harry…" Hermione's exasperated tone only increased. "Do you realise how insane that sounds?"

"No more insane than living with the Dursleys for ten years, then being told I'm a wizard." Harry could understand Ron not agreeing, but not Hermione. "Hermione, you didn't see their weapons. No one, muggle or wizard, carries around stuff like that."

Ron scoffed. "The teachers will confiscate them faster than you can say 'Quidditch'."

"Mercury didn't use a weapon to take Snape down and Snape started it," Harry responded. He saw the disbelief written clearly on his friends' faces. "Look, if the magical world exists, why not a different one altogether? I mean, Hermione, have you ever read about a place called 'Remnant'? How about Semblances as in power? What about Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"Well, no."

"I know it's far-fetched, but maybe they were telling the truth. For goodness sake Hermione, they didn't know what Earth was!" At least, he didn't think they did.

"Still sounds like they escaped from a loony hospital," Ron muttered.

That angered Harry. "Most muggles talking to wizards would think the same. To wizards, the muggle world may as well be on a different planet."

Hermione bit her lip. "He's got a point Ron."

Ron shook his head. "Mental, the both of you."

"Just because you think something is impossible Ronald, doesn't mean it actually is." Hermione used his full name. She must really be furious with him. "Some muggles have wondered about a multiverse…Like parallel dimensions. There's a whole scientific theory behind it. Maybe we should reserve judgement until we actually meet them. Maybe we will finally find evidence of whether it is true or not."

The best way to get Hermione on your side: fight with logic.

Ron decided to approach from a different angle. "Who says we going to meet them? Dumbledore will probably just send them packing. If they can attack Snape, they can attack anyone."

"We attacked Snape last year," Harry pointed out. "We got away with it. Doesn't mean we're going to attack anyone."

"Except Malfoy."

Hermione frowned. "I think Dumbledore will be more curious as to how they got to the castle in the first place. If they are from our world-" She brought up a hand to stall Harry's objections, "then he will want to know where they came from. It is for the safety of the school. If not, he'll be even more curious. We could learn a lot from them."

"Only you Hermione…" Ron shook his head, then grinned. "Think they'll be joining us for breakfast tomorrow?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably."

There was another thing that made Harry so sure they weren't lying. Sometimes, like when he was in Ollivander's shop, he could feel the magic in the air, if only slightly. He didn't feel that with them.

* * *

"Mercury. A moment."

Mercury avoided sighing. He had known this was coming since they left Snape. ZBRN headed to the bedrooms not unlike their dorm rooms at Beacon as did Yang (with an annoyingly cheerful wave), but his Gems remained. He did manage to slip out from underneath them and was now sitting on the end of the sofa.

"Yes?"

Ozpin fixed him with a stare, but it seemed contemplative. "Do you know what you did wrong earlier?"

Mercury didn't think he did anything wrong earlier. He did know what Ozpin wanted to hear and decided to humour him. "It was unnecessary at the time." From the adults' point of view. "You were acting."

"Indeed. Would you repeat your actions in similar circumstances?"

Was this a trick question? The Fall Maiden and his Combat Professor were still in the room.

Mercury didn't answer immediately, but he didn't want to be caught in a lie later. That would only hurt his and Emerald's standing. "Depends how similar the circumstances. If an adult attacks without any form of provocation, then yes. If it's a student trying to act tough, then I'll be more lenient." Maybe. He wouldn't kill them anyway.

Ozpin's gaze grew more intense. "You are not to engage in a fight with these Hogwarts students at all. Is that understood and agreed to Mercury?"

"…Understood and agreed to unless they attack us first." He was not giving up a right to self-defence. It was clear their magic could do a lot and be very dangerous. How dangerous, he would find out very soon.

"And their condition after these fights?"

"Alive with a few broken bones seeing as they can fix them so fast." That fact alone made him cautious. Fear and pain were powerful motivators and with such a varied weapon as these wands seemed to be, a fight would be ill advised if they could heal so easily.

 _Maybe their magic is in place of our aura._

"Mercury. We are not on Remnant. This is their world and their rules. You will abide by them." Translation: Ozpin wasn't bailing him out if he screwed up. He didn't have the pull here that he did at Beacon.

"Understood." Mercury recognised a lost battle when he saw one.

"…Very well. Off to bed you three."

No doubt all of them would be getting another warning in the morning. If these people didn't have aura, one of Yang's punches was going to kill someone regardless of whether she shot them as well. Of the eight students that were at this school at the moment, only one had had active training in restraining his strength. This was going to be a very different student dynamic than they were used to. Yang was definitely going to struggle.

The rooms that the students had claimed (the adults got their own) were split up into a shared dorm, but weren't as large as the ones they were used to. They separated into two rooms of three and one room of two. Two boys were sharing a room and so were three girls. There was only one room that had a mix of genders.

Mercury shut the door behind them, his features in a frown. On Remnant, he mostly knew who his enemies were and where he stood in their war. Now he found himself in a world very unlike theirs for reasons and enemies unknown.

At least there was a reason and they would probably be returned home afterwards.

Probably.

"Hey Merc?"

"Hmm?" Mercury looked over at Ruby, who was at the open wardrobe. There were some outfits hanging within that were very familiar. In fact… "Is that what I wore to the prom?"

"Yep. Mine and Emerald's dresses are in here too. As well as a few changes of clothes." She continued to push the clothes aside, stopping for a little longer on each one. Her eyes seemed conflicted. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She sighed and leaned back into him. "Do you think we'll ever go home?"

 _Eventually._

"Of course we will. Can you imagine how disappointed JWMP will be when they find out they missed out on this? A world of magic?"

Magic. Mercury glanced at the bathroom, where their missing girlfriend was. Maybe their magic could heal Emerald.

Ruby followed his gaze. She let out a soft sigh. "She'll be okay, won't she?"

"…I hope so." Some things take time to heal, even if the scars didn't fade.

When Emerald came out, Mercury glanced the full length mirror inside. She didn't say anything, just gave a smile that was nowhere near sincere and crawled into the bed. Ruby pampered her as he went to get ready for bed himself.

Emerald slept in the centre as she had done since Mountain Glenn, with her Quicksilver protecting her. It had taken Ruby almost two hours to drift off next to her, though Mercury stayed awake a while longer. He ran his hand through Emerald's hair, hoping the act gave her the same comfort it gave him when their roles were reversed. She hadn't had any nightmares at least.

First impressions of Hogwarts: not great. Harry wasn't too bad, though the fact he had something that could turn him invisible was something to be careful of. He wasn't expecting much from the teachers if Snape was anything to go by. There was something about this whole castle that bothered him and it wasn't that it defied the laws of physics or common sense.

What concerned Mercury the most was this 'reason' they were in this world in the first place.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had seen many unexplainable events in his long life. That is to be expected in a world full of magic. However, it was very easy to say this was the most incredible.

He had sent a message to the teachers for an immediate staff meeting. This could not wait until the morning. At the moment, he had decided to talk to the Heads of Houses as well as Alastor, waiting until there was a more certain plan before approaching the other teachers. Once the floo calls had been made, he sat back and began to think about the new arrivals.

All the students looked healthy and happy. Every item they carried, which could be assumed to be weapons, appeared to be unique to them. Perhaps they had been designed to fit that student's personality, much like their wands. Albus could not in good conscience ask for them to surrender their weapons when his society carried a wand wherever they went and had proven to be a dangerous tool as well as a constructive one.

In Professor Ozpin, Albus recognised a fellow scholar. He was of great intellect and had chosen to educate the next generation in matters of their world along with a dedication to protect it. For that alone, he had Albus' respect. He also had a great care for his students, a key aspect in any teacher.

Most likely, the two women were teachers also. One certainly had good control of the students.

Severus was sitting nearby, deep in thought himself. "Are you certain this is for the best Headmaster?"

"I think it would be unwise to anger them at this time, especially if there is no danger."

"You believe their story?"

"I have found that the realm of impossibility is much smaller than the realm of possibility. I did not detect a lie. Did you?"

Severus growled. "No, but that doesn't mean anything."

"If their story is true, then I cannot turn them away Severus." If they came from another world, then they had nowhere to stay. The remainder of this year could be used to assess the new situation and respond accordingly. For now, he would not turn them out as long as they were not a threat.

It was at this point in time that the others teachers arrived. Minerva, Pomona and Filius chose to seat themselves in Minerva's conjured seats while Alastor stood over by the fireplace, his fake eye spinning around the room.

"What is so urgent it could not wait until morning Albus?" Minerva asked. Her question was understandable; it was Saturday tomorrow.

"Something rather extraordinary has happened and I would ask that you do not interrupt while I explain the events of tonight. Then we can discuss how to move forward." Albus told them of Harry finding the group on the grounds; bringing them to his office and the talk he had had with Professor Ozpin.

They listened, quietly. At first, it looked like there would be interruptions, but they remained silent as they considered.

Minerva was the first to speak. "How did this happen, Albus?"

"That is something I don't know. Never in all my years at Hogwarts has this ever happened before."

Albus heard chuckling. He and the others turned to see the Sorting Hat on the shelf, with Fawkes standing next to it. It was not often that the Sorting Hat spoke outside of the Welcoming Feast, but Albus had no interest in ignoring it if it did.

"Just because it has never happened in your lifetime does not mean it hasn't happened before. Hogwarts remembers three instances in history; the last over seven centuries ago, though they did not come from the same world your guests do."

That was interesting news. "If so, is it possible for them to return home or are they trapped here?"

"It is possible for them to return. However, they must complete their objective first. That is all I can tell you."

All breathed a sigh of relief, but Albus wanted more details. "And what objective might that be?"

"I cannot tell you. It's not that I _won't_ tell you; it is that I _can't_. I cannot say anymore on this topic at this time."

 _At this time? How interesting._ "Thank you. I'm sure our guests will be pleased to hear that."

The Sorting Hat returned to immobility. Fawkes let out a soft trill and flew back to his perch.

"If they appeared here, then it is likely Hogwarts is where they need to be," Albus theorised aloud. "At least, for the moment while we learn more. With the Tri-Wizard Tournament occurring this year, the focus will not be on them. I doubt the Daily Prophet will even mention it."

"If there are only eight students, then they shouldn't be too much trouble," Minerva added. "We have had to accommodate the other schools this year, so we are prepared for them. How are we going to justify it to the Minister?"

Filius chuckled. "I don't think that's going to be a problem this year. As they can see the castle, it would suggest they have some magic. We merely say they are squibs that have been granted sanctuary for a time."

Pomona nodded. "We could add that they appeared by what is thought to be accidental magic despite that. That is thought to be impossible, so the Minister isn't going to complain too much."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Or he could send them to the Department of Mysteries and we'll never see them again."

Albus did entertain part of that thought for a moment. The DOM had records and information that the Ministry did not have access to. Maybe they would be able to find information on similar past events. It would be wise to consider approaching them while keeping the visitors in Hogwarts. The idea that Cornelius Fudge would contact them was laughable. While the Minister was aware of the DOM, he had no authority there no matter how much he might wish otherwise.

For now, Albus chose to focus on the short term. "Professor Ozpin and I did discuss possible options for their education. While some of their subjects can be continued, there was an interest in studying some of ours, especially if they are here for a while."

"I will go on record and refuse to teach them," Snape inserted immediately. "I do not have the time."

"Understandable." Given the interaction between Severus and that student Mercury, it would be wise to wait a little before returning to the topic.

Pomona was the other Head of House that had a subject they could study and she gave the matter her full consideration. "Herbology is possible. Even if I cannot teach them the magic side of the curriculum, much is hands on. I would prefer to give them the first few classes separate though, until I'm satisfied. If they don't mind it, I can then put them with the first years."

"I am sure they won't." Regardless of the fact they were of age, it was their level of knowledge that was important. "Now, I mentioned earlier that they had volunteered an exhibition match and I think it would be a grand idea. However, the question would be where to hold it. Outside seems to be the best place."

Filius nodded. "It would be simplest to raise wards there and eight students are going to need a lot of room. How about the Quidditch Pitch?"

"The wards will have to be very strong then," Minerva responded. "If this is a ploy to avoid fights between our students, destroying the Pitch is a guarantee for it to fail."

Pomona wasn't convinced. "Are we sure this match is a good idea? The students may then see them as a threat."

"And others will target them because they are thought to be defenceless," Filius countered. "I agree with Albus; the match will allow a starting point to understand how dangerous they can be and they have already seen how dangerous magic can be. It might also teach us a little more about the world they are from."

"What concerns me," Pomona started slowly, "is that Professor Ozpin has readily admitted how deadly they can be and the fact they come from a warrior school is worrying. Perhaps it would be wise to segregate them from our students until we have a greater understanding."

"Perhaps," Albus agreed. "However, it is the weekend tomorrow and, save from this match, most likely they will spend their time in the library where very few students will venture. I pity the one who attempts to attack with Madam Pince in the room. Interactions should be limited and will be a trickle, not a flood."

"Except for introducing them at breakfast?" Minerva asked.

That was a good point. It would be akin to throwing them in at the deep end. "I think I will introduce them at breakfast tomorrow or on Monday, but before that I will ask Professor Ozpin for his opinion. He may choose to have the house elves bring them their food and allow them to mingle slowly." It would be very wise to meet with them tomorrow to continue their discussions. "Are there any other problems or suggestions?"

"Are we going to Sort them?" Filius asked. "They are a low number, but some may be more accepting if they are proven to be interested in our traditions."

"That is another topic I will discuss. I don't think we should rush into anything. Would anyone like to be there also?"

There were nods from all four. While their discussion continued, they avoided the main question that was on all their minds: why were they here and how long would they be staying?

It did not escape Albus' notice that they appeared the same year that the Dark Mark did.

* * *

Professor Ozpin closed the book in front of him and leaned back in his chair. "The rules are not unreasonable and are what we would expect, but there are some that are…concerning."

"My main concern is how the students are going to react," Professor Goodwitch responded. "If Professor Snape is an example, we may have a problem. We have already been told that their citizens and 'muggle' don't like each other."

"Well, there is one fact that may help a little with our side," Amber commented. "We don't have access to Dust here. We only have what we brought with us."

Professor Ozpin nodded. "True and it would be wise to tell them that in the morning. That won't stop Yang or Mercury, but it's a start. The first thing they are all going to do tomorrow is read this. I don't want any misunderstandings due to lack of knowledge."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Professor Goodwitch agreed. "Many of these rules are similar to ours. As for the potion side, a blanket ban would be enough. I don't think we'll have much trouble with them."

"Indeed. They have gone from the youngest to the eldest and are mature enough to know the difference. That being said, if their students start a fight, ours won't back down. Hopefully the exhibition match tomorrow will prevent too much trouble."

"RMEY's habit of finding trouble needs to be taken into account. They're almost worse than their parents."

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "I imagine by the end of their third year, they will have surpassed that record. In hindsight, it may not have been a good idea to allow Qrow and Taiyang to take them in. They seem to have picked up…habits."

"Bit late now."

Amber smiled. "I know Qrow. What's Taiyang like?"

"He is a loving father. Caring, protective and also a little eccentric, all of which has been passed onto his daughters."

"Eccentric?"

Professor Goodwitch shook her head slightly. "There are many, many examples. We'd be here all night and more."

"Beacon sounds like a very interesting school from the children's point of view."

Professor Ozpin smiled. "All the schools have their individual quirks. It is one reason why the Vytal Festival is so enjoyable."

"Hopefully we will be back before then, no matter how unlikely."

* * *

 **AN: This is a sequel to a RWBY story (Pawns and Players of Fate) and is the second in a series (Destiny's Web). While this can be read as a stand alone, it may be quite confusing in some areas. I will put a list of key events from the prequel in the next chapter if someone asks for it. I have read good crossovers before despite not reading/watching one of the canon stories.**

 **The Harry Potter side will be focused on the books rather than the films.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	2. Give and Take

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

It was a Saturday and, with the exception of a Potions essay that wasn't due for another two weeks, Harry had no homework. That would usually mean that he would have a lie in. Breakfast was from 8 until 11 on weekends and he would normally be one of the last to leave.

Instead, Harry got up at 7 and headed down into the Common Room. He didn't get up that early on weekends unless Oliver had scheduled Quidditch practice. No Quidditch this year though, much to his annoyance.

Hermione was already up, reading in the closest armchair by the fire. She wasn't surprised to see him at this hour. "Check the noticeboard Harry."

As the hour was early, no one else was up yet. That made reading the noticeboard very easy without the usual crowding.

'All students are required in the Great Hall at 11am. Attendance is mandatory.'

That was all. There was no reason listed for why this assembly had been called, but Harry had a good idea. He did wonder if the visiting schools had been called as well, then decided they had as they had to stay in Hogwarts as well.

Harry joined Hermione, not surprised the book she was reading was Hogwarts: A History. "So Dumbledore's going to introduce them today."

"That's what it looks like."

Harry frowned. "Do you believe me? That they came from a different world?"

Hermione sighed. She put her book down. "I don't…disbelieve you. It defies all logic, but then so does the entire Wizarding World. I just want to meet them before I decide. It's nothing personal Harry but-"

"But it sounds insane," Harry agreed grudgingly. He could see where Hermione was coming from. "Ron certainly thought so."

"Ron's an idiot."

"You don't agree with his 'escape from an asylum' guess then?"

"I'm fairly sure you would have mentioned if they were insane. Still, it's a bit rich coming from him. Do you remember how Mr Weasley is with muggles? They would certainly think he escaped from an asylum if they didn't know he was a wizard. No offence to Mr Weasley, but he is no expert on muggles."

Harry agreed with that. He remembered his summers at the Burrow well. "What about Muggle Studies?"

"Very outdated. It's incredible that the Statue of Secrecy hasn't been broken yet. It was worth studying for a few months, but that's all. I wonder what their education is going to be like."

Harry shrugged. "Depends. I don't think they're going to go anywhere near the dungeons whether they can brew or not. Snape was furious." Then an idea occurred to him. "Think they'll be Sorted?"

Hermione frowned. "That's a good question. Probably not. They're not magical after all."

"But they can see Hogwarts. I thought muggles couldn't."

"They can't." She bit her lip in thought. "I don't know. It depends on a lot of things, I suppose. Most likely not. There are only eight of them though." Hermione obviously wasn't sure. "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will say."

"Yeah." Harry opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind. "I wonder if they're still in bed." With that thought, Harry reached into his pocket and grabbed the Marauder's Map. He gave the area a quick scan and confirmed they were alone. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Harry loved this Map. The ink trailed across the parchment and soon, the map was visible.

"Okay, where'd you think they'll be?"

"If they're awake, probably the library. They will need information."

With a nod to Hermione's suggestion, Harry found the right area. "Here we go…Yep. Well, there are six names there. The adults must be elsewhere."

"Six? I thought you said there were eight students."

"There were." Who was missing? "Mercury and…Emerald. They're not there. Wonder why. Why don't we go down and meet them now?"

Hermione nodded eagerly. "Right. Let me just fetch a book I need to return and you can get Ron up."

"Great."

In most situations, the way to wake Ron up was to say very loudly that breakfast was about to end. He fell for it this time, just like he had the previous one hundred times. At first, he had wanted to go back to sleep. Then Harry told him where he and Hermione were going.

"Are you mental? I'm coming too."

Ron was ready in record time, except for when there was a Quidditch match on. Five minutes later and he joined Harry and Hermione in the Common Room. Harry had expected to be kept waiting for longer.

As normal, with a few exceptions, the hallways were empty.

"You know Ron, this is the happiest I've ever seen you when we had to go to the library," Harry commented. Even when they were researching the Philosopher's Stone.

"Yeah, but we're not going to read, are we? Besides, I want to meet this supposed otherworlders."

"That's not a word Ron," Hermione pointed out. "We might as well get some work done while we're there. Have you even started your Potions essay?"

"Of course I haven't. Who do you think I am? You?"

"It wouldn't kill you to get your work done early Ron."

"Two weeks Hermione. That's plenty of time."

"And we both know you'll start it the night before."

Both stopped bickering as they approached the library. Madam Pince was not a woman to be trifled with and she was insanely strict. Neither wanted to be chucked out of the library for talking before they even entered it.

The closest tables were empty. Harry did hear very quiet voices though from behind the closest bookcases though. He glanced at Madam Pince. To his amazement, she was reading a book and didn't seem to care about the noise. He shared incredulous looks with his friends. How had they done that?

All eight of them were there now. They were sitting at one of the large tables, with books scattered around, some open and some not. The orange haired girl was swaying a little as she read. Apparently this was normal. While Emerald and Mercury noticed him immediately, the others didn't.

"-to her. The Ice Queen's taken a liking to him. If you're not careful, she's going to steal him."

"Oh please. Zwei would never abandon us."

"…He is stubborn."

"Exactly." That was when Ruby spotted them. "Hi Harry."

"Hi." Harry understood the words in that snippet of conversation, but wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about. Was Zwei a boy in their school? "So, are you staying here for long?"

Zephyr nodded. "By the sound of it, we're here until the end of year. At the moment anyway."

"Right. These are my friends: Ron and Hermione."

"Hello!" Nora spread her arms out. The book she had been reading was tossed into the air. Without looking or changing expression, Ren put his hand out and caught it. He calmly closed it and put it on the table.

As one, Harry and his friends let out a long breath. There was no sign of Madam Pince.

Zephyr gave them a sympathetic look. "Some of us might take some getting used to."

Yang smiled. "Those being Nora and Mercury."

Mercury's gaze returned to the book he was reading. "I would count Yang in that too. For reasons closer to Nora than me."

It took Harry a few seconds to puzzle that out.

"So you're Mercury?" Ron asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yep." She pointed to them in turn. "That's Emerald, Yang, Blake, Nora, Ren and Zephyr. And I'm Ruby."

Mercury had, save for a glance, ignored Ron. In fact, he seemed to have chosen to ignore the rest of them, including his friends. The others didn't seem to mind, either. They certainly weren't surprised. Maybe that's what they meant by 'getting used to'.

Ron scowled at being dismissed.

Hermione had been quiet, but now she spoke up. "Where did you get those…umm…?"

"Weapons?" Yang supplied helpfully. "We crafted them ourselves."

"Remember Yang," Emerald interrupted. "We're not allowed to use them."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're not allowed?" Ron asked. "Why not?"

Zephyr, Ren and Blake looked at him with a very searching gaze. It was Emerald who asked, even if her eyes had gone back to her book as well. "Does this world not have guns?"

Hermione kept a neutral tone. "Of course it does."

"Then why are you asking?"

Ruby nodded happily. "They're also a gun."

Harry chose to change the topic. "Have you met any other Hogwarts students yet?"

Yang shook her head. "Nope. Normally, we're not up until nine at the earliest on a Saturday, but today none of us needed alarm clocks."

"Not that that stopped Nora from crashing into our room," Zephyr grumbled. "Loudly."

Yang frowned. "I would have thought you were used to it."

"Does not mean I have to like it."

Ren turned a page. "It wasn't your bed she jumped on this morning."

"Shut up."

Hermione bit her lip. "Mind if I ask you some things?"

Mercury looked up at that. "If you return the favour."

Knowing they were going to be here for a while, Harry grabbed one of the chairs from the other tables. Noticing this, Ron dragged two more over. He had to poke Hermione to get her to notice. She thanked him and sat down.

The two groups kept it simple. The first thing Zephyr and Ren asked about was their muggle world. Hermione took the lead on that. It was a conversation Harry could follow, but not Ron. The two worlds actually sounded quite similar, save for the facts that their geography was different and that their technology was more advanced. That was easy to believe with one glance at their weapons.

Their Grimm sounded like the stuff of nightmares. Ruby's drawings of a few different species didn't help either, especially when she drew stick figures of humans next to them to show their size.

Hermione had looked sceptical for a moment. Then she glanced at the wall where a three pronged sword was resting and the expression vanished. It looked like she was actually beginning to believe it.

It was mainly Harry and Hermione that spoke. Ron gave an odd (usually wrong) comment. For them, Ruby and Nora were the main chatterboxes with Yang not far behind. Zephyr and Ren asked the more detailed questions. Blake, Mercury and Emerald stayed quiet, though they did seem interested.

They never got to the magical world. The farthest they got was the Muggle Studies course compared to the actual muggle world.

At ten, someone else entered the library. Harry didn't notice until Blake spoke. "Professor Goodwitch."

"It is time to return to the room students. Now."

"Yes professor."

It was impressive how the eight students could stand and move around in such as a small area and yet not bump into each other, especially as they weren't even trying. Harry's classmates were known for crashing into each other and that was when they were looking when they were going in a very large space. They also remembered to put the books back, which would win them points with Madam Pince.

"See you around guys," Yang waved cheerfully. Most of the others gave similar goodbyes, with the exception of Blake and Mercury.

After they were gone, Harry looked at Hermione. She sighed.

"Okay, Harry. I believe you."

Ron scowled. "Okay, fine. But half of them are jerks."

"You can't blame them for being a little on edge Ron," Hermione pointed out patiently. "How would you feel if you found yourself in their world?"

"I still think they're jerks."

Harry rolled his eyes and dragged Ron out of the library before Madam Pince could throw them out. Hermione joined them after her book had been returned and replaced.

They had an hour before the assembly. Harry chose to head to Hagrid's, seeing as he didn't get a chance to see him last night. Hermione and Ron followed, bickering the entire time. Some things just didn't change.

* * *

Again, the eight students were scattered around the Common Room. They had been silent, listening to what Ozpin had learned from his most recent discussions from Dumbledore.

Emerald was leaning against Mercury on the sofa, with Ruby on her other side. Ruby was in a very good mood, though Emerald wasn't entirely sure of the reason why. Her morning had been informative and very worrying. Ozpin's information didn't ease her.

Ren had been reading about the four Houses that day and had given brief overview of which attributes tended to go with which House. Emerald wasn't sure about that; many overlapped. While she and Mercury would definitely go into Slytherin, Ruby was a toss-up between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor or even Slytherin. To be fair, Yang was a definite Gryffindor. Ozpin said it didn't matter as they weren't going to be separated into those Houses. That was a relief; Emerald didn't want to be separated from her Quicksilver.

After reading the rules, there were several mentions of potions. Emerald had looked a few up and thought them fair, with some exceptions like a potion that transformed you into someone else. Information like that should not be in a school at all. In fact, for a lot of potions, there was a high possibility of abuse.

This entire world had so many different things to abuse.

Ozpin had also brought up the subjects they could study. The Potions Professor wasn't willing to teach them (which was perfectly fine with Emerald seeing as it was her he originally targeted), but the others had no such issues. That wasn't to say there weren't going to be problems as they couldn't control magic, but there may be ways to work around that. Which subjects they picked would be up to them, not the adults. That was good. It would be worth asking around what they were like.

There had been a discussion of Combat Class, but that had been put off until after the exhibition match. They had no idea how their magic would mix with aura and Dust. Once that was known, they could look for somewhere suitable inside or outside the school.

It was the students that bothered Emerald the most. If that was how the professors behaved, then the students would most likely be even worse. When Hermione and Harry had been talking about their muggle world, it hadn't escaped Emerald's notice that Ron had no idea what they were talking about half the time. That was a very worrying concept, especially as their worlds were so similar.

There was some important fact Emerald was missing.

One interesting fact was that it was the 27th October. Despite the fact they had the exact same calendar, for some reason they had jumped ahead a few weeks. Why? They would probably never know.

This exhibition match was going to be less flashy than they were used to. With limited Dust, all of them were very reluctant to use any. There went a lot of long range attacks. Yang and Mercury used Dust rounds, but she and Ruby had ammo that didn't. While they also didn't have a quick replacement for that, they were less concerned about it. Zephyr also required Dust and so did Nora. Emerald wasn't sure about Ren and Blake.

This match was supposed to stop their students from picking fights. If the immaturity of Beacon students were anything to go by, there would probably be some who wouldn't get the message. If Snape was anything to go by, these Hogwarts students would be even worse. The annoying thing was that they couldn't retaliate because the results were more likely than not be fatal. She and Mercury could live with that. For Ruby or Yang, it would be heartbreaking. As for the idiot that managed to provoke them into a fight in the first place, Emerald would have no sympathy.

* * *

Hagrid had sent Harry, Ron and Hermione off after half an hour. This allowed them to catch the end of breakfast, much to Ron's relief. Harry listened carefully to the gossip around him as he ate, but there was no talk on strangers in the castle. Apparently, no one else had seen them.

Harry did have to laugh at some of the guesses for the mandatory assembly. The Hogwarts Rumour Mill could be hilarious at times, especially when it wasn't focused on him.

The Goblet of Fire was resting on the pedestal behind the staff table. Four days and the Tri-Wizard Tournament would begin. Harry couldn't wait.

As eleven approached, more students arrived. Some were disgruntled, maybe due to just waking up, while others seemed openly curious. There weren't that many though, most were already in the Great Hall. At three minutes past eleven, Malfoy and his friends walked in, openly scowling.

It felt pretty good knowing something Malfoy didn't.

At ten past eleven, Dumbledore stood. The Hall fell silent, even the Slytherins. After all, the sooner he spoke, the sooner they could get back to their weekend.

"Thank you for your attention. Last night, a group of students and individuals appeared on Hogwarts Grounds. While initially thought to be muggles and scans suggest so, there is currently no explanation to their appearance other than accidental magic."

Whispers started. Dumbledore held a hand up for silence. He received it quickly.

"They can also focus their power into abilities, despite scans finding otherwise. As such, they will be remaining in Hogwarts for a while. I hope you will give them the same welcome and respect as you would expect."

The room was silent. Harry was surprised at that. Now Dumbledore's expression changed. His smile faded and his expression turned flat.

"I will warn you now. For the majority of their lives, they have attended a warrior school designed to kill very dangerous creatures and their weapons reflect that. In fact, they have volunteered an exhibition match in which we can see them in their element. If you would kindly follow the professors, we will take you to the grounds."

 _Exhibition match?_

Harry looked at his friends and saw a reflection of his emotions: confusion, intrigue and excitement. They would actually get to see them in action and Harry had a feeling they wouldn't be seeing this display often.

The whispers picked up again as the students filed out. How did they magic themselves onto Hogwarts Grounds? Were they magical or not? What powers did they have? Were they hot?

"Disgusting," came a loathed voice behind Harry. He turned around to glare at Malfoy. "Honestly, Dumbledore will let any filth in. They should have been dealt with already."

"Shut up Malfoy."

"Defending them already Potter? I suppose you do lower yourself to mudblood standards. Why not lower?"

Their argument was over before it started. They were in the middle of the group and the students behind Malfoy weren't happy to be kept waiting. They started to push. With an arrogant smirk, Malfoy himself pushed past.

"Git," Ron muttered angrily. "Wonder if Mercury will attack him like he attacked Snape."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed. The other students were giving them curious looks, especially the Gossip Queens of Gryffindor. In fact, they were looking very interested.

"Who's Mercury?"

"He's taken," Hermione responded and pushed Ron forward.

Harry kept pace and lowered his voice. "How'd you figure that?"

"I don't, but it doesn't matter. If they decide they're boyfriend material, they're not going to get any peace." Hermione sighed at Harry's confused look. "I share a dorm with them Harry and I don't hate those students enough to stick those two on them so soon."

"I think Ron's already done that." Snape was hated throughout nearly the entire school. The students would respect anyone standing up to him. Attacking Snape would make Mercury an instant celebrity and Ron had just spilled the beans.

"Err…Harry?" Neville had, at some point, appeared at Harry's other side. "Have you already met them?"

"We talked with them in the library this morning."

"What are they like?"

Harry wasn't sure how to answer that. To a magical born, they could be considered alien. It wouldn't be far off the truth. In answer to Neville's question, Harry just shrugged. He looked to Hermione for help. She shrugged as well.

"Different then?"

"Very different Neville."

The area they were using was the grass next to the lake. Professors Flitwick and Vector were already there, talking with Professor Ozpin. Professor McGonagall showed the line in the grass that the students were not to cross and continued forward to talk to Professor Goodwitch. The third adult of their group (Harry had never heard a name) was talking to Blake and Yang. The other six were seated mostly in a circle, chatting. They paid little attention to the gathering crowd.

The murmurs in said crowd continued, many not bothering to keep their voices down. There was a lot of scold and disbelief among the elder years and especially Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Somehow, Harry thought they would be eating their words soon enough. He certainly hadn't wanted to mess with these guys last night.

Professor Sprout had been at the back of the crowd and now joined Professor Dumbledore to the side. "This is everyone."

Their fighting area was almost the width of a Quidditch pitch. Did they really need that much room?

The magical professors walked away, standing on the edges of their crowd of students. Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin were at the very edge of the lake with the other woman. The eight had now gotten up and separated into two groups of four.

Ruby, Mercury, Emerald and Yang. Zephyr, Blake, Ren and Nora.

 _Four vs four?_

"Students: tournament rules. Be mindful of the audience and your space."

Still the group ignored the crowd. Zephyr muttered something to Ren, who nodded. Almost collectively, every magical student's jaw dropped. The gasps could not be faked.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. Hermione didn't scold him. Harry thought Ron's analysis was accurate.

 _That scythe's got to be bigger than Ruby!_

Nora had a _hammer_. That was _huge_. Zephyr's three pronged sword suddenly looked a lot sharper. Ren's weapons looked like nothing on Earth. Blake had a sword as well, but was holding the sheath like a blade. Emerald's looked like some sort of sickles. Yang's small gloves turned into huge almost _cannons_.

 _They are going to fight with those? They'll kill each other!_

If they were concerned for their safety, they didn't show it. In fact, they looked excited. Was this _normal_ for them?

Professor Ozpin gave no indication that he had noticed their incredulous audience.

"3. 2. 1. Begin."

Chaos.

Ruby vanished for a moment and appeared right in front of Nora as she swung her scythe. Nora smacked it hard with her hammer, but Ruby vanished again before the follow up. Ren and Zephyr had gone straight for Mercury and Yang went after Nora as well. Emerald and Blake met blade with blade.

Harry was very certain some of those blade strikes were hitting, but there was no blood. It looked like Emerald's sickle should have cut deep into Blake's stomach, but there wasn't even a mark on her clothing.

Then it got even crazier.

Mercury had been holding his own very well despite being ganged up on. Blake had been knocked away from Emerald and had decided to help out Nora as that was where she landed. Emerald's sickles had _chains_ inside them (how?) and they were aimed towards Mercury. Mercury, without even looking, ducked and then shoved Ren into them. The chains retracted and Yang punched Ren in the chest hard as he passed. Nora caught Ruby in the side and she went flying towards Ren. The chains detached with Ren and Ruby clashing.

Blake had copies that appeared and disappeared immediately after getting hit. Ruby's speed was inhuman.

They definitely needed the very large space.

Harry winced as the two crashed to the ground. He wasn't the only one. They were not the slightest bit bothered and rolled onto their feet easily.

The fight wasn't an eight person one on one. They all moved in sync. One battle had an effect on another. They were very aware of what was going on around them and interfered when it seemed one of their teammates was stumbling or handicapped.

While there wasn't a single instance of successful friendly fire, there were some very near misses. They didn't seem to notice or care how near.

It was chaos, but controlled chaos.

Zephyr went for Emerald; Mercury blocked it; Emerald knocked him into Yang. At the same time, Yang and Nora were having a great time countering each other. Zephyr was an item thrown into Nora. Ren got him out of the way while Blake followed up with an attack on Mercury. Ruby intercepted and Yang punched Blake away. Ren used Yang as a shield against Mercury while Nora tried to hit him. She would have missed him but got Ruby. Mercury moved in the way. Emerald countered.

No matter how hard they got hit, they practically shrugged it off and got back in the fight again.

Six of them were using crazy weapons. Two of them were opposite martial artists. They should be at a disadvantage. They weren't.

Blake and Ruby met in a deadlock. Blake jammed the sheath between the scythe and Ruby. A few twists and Ruby was flung up in the air. Blake threw her sword to stop Mercury from interfering. Zephyr swung his sword like at bat and a splash told Ruby's fate. He had knocked her halfway across the lake.

"Ruby is eliminated," Professor Ozpin announced idly, as if commenting on the weather.

Emerald's chains wrapped around Zephyr. She spun him in a full circle then retracted them, sending him for a soak too. At the same time, Yang punched Ren away from the sword still in the air. Mercury grabbed it and pulled Blake towards him. Six kicks later and she's knocked away from the fight, but still in the 'arena'.

"Zephyr is eliminated. Blake is eliminated."

Emerald and Yang teamed up against Nora. Mercury went after Ren. It was equal for a while. Then, simultaneously, the three switched over. Ren was quickly overpowered, unable to block both Yang and Emerald. He skidded away quite far and struggled to get up again.

"Ren is eliminated."

At this point, Ruby had swum to the edge of the lake. The unnamed woman helped her up with a smile. She in turn help drag Zephyr out, who looked very annoyed at his dip. He said something. Ruby stuck her tongue out at him.

Yang went flying when the hammer hit. She nearly ended up in the Forbidden Forest, which was over a _hundred metres_ away. Mercury and Emerald used Nora's balance and tag teamed to knock her out of the fight as well.

"Yang is eliminated. Nora is eliminated. Winners are Team Remedy."

That final sentence knocked the magical students out of their stupor. The younger ones cheered immediately, with the older ones joining in after a moment. That performance certainly earned the huge applause it got.

 _Remedy? Interesting team name._

Ren helped Nora up with Blake and Zephyr quickly joining them. Emerald and Mercury immediately went to Ruby and pulled her into a hug. While Mercury pulled away, Ruby remained leaning against Emerald. Yang caught up with them, ruffled Ruby's hair and gave the other two a pat on the back. The two groups then approached one another. There were handshakes all around.

They weren't sore losers. That was rare to see around Hogwarts. When it came to Quidditch anyway unless your opponents were Hufflepuffs. Cedric had offered a rematch after Harry fell off his broom last year. Most kids held a grudge.

Dumbledore approached them, still clapping. "A marvellous performance." With an amused smile Zephyr, Ruby and Yang bowed. Those three certainly played the part of performers. Blake rolled her eyes fondly. "I thank you for your time and hope you have a great time at Hogwarts."

"It was a pleasure," Professor Ozpin replied. He gave a wave to his students and led them back towards the castle. Even those that had just taken a battering seemed fine now, just a little tired.

Dumbledore put his hand up. "I understand that you will all have questions. However, I would ask you to approach them in your own time and not in such a large group. I can say this. As you have seen, their magic manifests itself as a shield and an ability. As far as we are aware, they are unable to focus it as we can. As for their abilities, it is up to them what they tell you. Now, it is a lovely Saturday afternoon. Off you all go."

Grumbles accompanied the whispers now. Everyone wanted to know more and now had to go searching for them to get their answers. Some of the younger ones immediately ran off, but the majority of the group dispersed gradually. Quite a few were happy to leave them be.

Harry, Ron and Hermione headed away from the crowd and closer to the lake. They didn't want to be overheard. Once the last of the students were out of range, Hermione spoke.

"After that display, I believe your version more than Dumbledore's, Harry. Then again, that's not information they can just give out. Did they mention that at all?"

Harry shook his head, still in slight disbelief of what he just saw. "They said they were from a Combat School. Nothing like that. I mean, Blake and Ruby showed me what their powers, but nothing like that."

"That was awesome!" Ron grinned. "Did you see the look on Malfoy's face? He was terrified!"

"I think that was everyone's reaction," Hermione agreed. "And I think that is what they were going for. No one is stupid enough to mess with them."

Harry wasn't so sure. He had seen Malfoy's face before he quickly left and he hadn't been afraid. Jealous and angry, but not afraid. Harry was willing to bet there was going to be quite a bit of trouble from him in the near future.

* * *

Ruby loved sparring matches, even if they had less room than they usually did in that one. She hadn't appreciated her dip in the lake, but Emerald was warm and it wasn't long before she dried off. Zephyr had liked his dip even less, but Ruby did point out he kind of had it coming. Even he reluctantly agreed to that.

Once they were inside the castle again, Professor Ozpin had called for Tippy (who had been watching their match) and asked if he knew of somewhere in Hogwarts where they could practice. Tippy had nodded and began to lead them somewhere.

At first, Ruby had felt guilty at calling on Tippy, but she saw the difference now between what house elves need and slavery. Blake had been very thorough on her quizzing of Tippy on that, which was more than she got from books on the topic. There hadn't been any. It was interesting to learn they could survive with any ambient energy, not just magic.

She did chuckle when Nora asked where the kitchens were, which exploded into a laugh when Tippy answered her. Ruby knew what she would be looking for. Hogwarts was quite a fun maze to explore.

 _Okay, so we're on the seventh floor. The kitchens must be on the ground floor somewhere. And this…is an empty corridor?_

Save for a tapestry, there was nothing of interest.

"Come and Go room is here sirs. Walk past the tapestry three times and think on what you need. That is the Come and Go Room. Or also named Room of Requirement."

 _Think on what we need? This is going to be so much fun._

Just as Tippy said, a door appeared when Professor Goodwitch turned towards them for the third time. Tippy bowed and vanished. Kudos to Emerald for actually thinking to ask the house elf if he knew somewhere, despite a negative from Headmaster Dumbledore.

Ruby blinked when she stepped into the room. It was an exact copy of their classroom for Combat Class. Every little detail.

"This will do nicely," Professor Ozpin smiled. He then turned to the students. "However, it is a Saturday. I trust you to remember curfew. Have fun."

Ruby smiled. She took Emerald's hand and gave it a little tug to follow her down the corridor and farther down the staircases. Mercury and Yang followed with amused smiles. ZBRN scattered at the staircase, wanting to try and figure their way around.

Yang glanced at Mercury. "When was the last time Ruby had cookies?"

"To my knowledge, four days ago."

"Yesterday," Emerald responded. Ruby frowned at her. It had been Emerald that had swiped them for her from the cafeteria that lunchtime. Emerald smiled innocently back at her.

"Yang, how is that the first thing that pops into your head?" Ruby made her voice sound scandalised. It wasn't hard; they were teasing her three on one. That was so not fair.

"Am I wrong sis?"

Aha! Ruby knew what to say. "I just want to meet the other house elves and see where Tippy works."

Mercury gave her a smirk that said he wasn't buying it. Emerald's almost inaudible laugh said the same.

"Uh huh." Yang didn't buy it either. "Still, I'm not sure you deserve a cookie Ruby. You were the first to be knocked out today."

"And because of that, Zephyr was knocked out." Ruby had surfaced quickly enough to see that. "And that lake was absolutely freezing! No one is crazy enough to go swimming in there willingly." She unconsciously snuggled a little more into Emerald, who wrapped her arm around her shoulders. Then steered her left when Ruby accidentally tried to go right. "I knew that."

"Of course," Emerald agreed. Ruby thought she was fibbing. She decided not to comment.

"With how useful that room is, I'm surprised there's no one in it," Mercury noted. "Maybe they don't know about it. If you're that desperate to go swimming, you could try in there."

"If that room is exactly as Tippy described it, I could live in it," Yang declared. "Too bad Goodwitch chose our own classroom. She could have had some imagination."

"So…." Mercury grinned. "Bumper cars, bowling, arcade…Which do you fancy?"

"I'm not sure about the arcade Mercury," Emerald frowned. "That Ron didn't really know what electricity is and the other two weren't surprised at that. I'm not sure that room allows for electricity."

Ruby frowned. "That was odd. How can he not know?"

"Maybe his house doesn't have it. I haven't seen a light bulb since I got here."

"But their muggle world has it. Hermione knew what it was and so did Harry."

Emerald shrugged.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Maybe Ron's an exception. We could just ask someone else."

Mercury scoffed. "Is that before or after we ask them which of their non-magical subjects are worth studying?"

"Okay, you are staying quiet unless necessary."

"Fine by me."

Emerald chuckled. "I thought we decided that at the beginning of the year."

Ruby nodded. "And then he was okay and now we're back to square one. So Merc's staying quiet unless they deserve it."

Mercury had a very evil smirk at that sentence.

Ruby almost sighed, but a smile creeped onto her face. At least things weren't going to be boring around here. She just may need to remind him of the boundaries. Or deliberately tattle on people who deserved to meet a Mercury Black. Either worked.

* * *

Harry watched as Hermione opened the Daily Prophet the next day and tried to wait patiently while she read it. It didn't take long.

"Nothing interesting then?"

"No. Just more on the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Right in the corner is a mention of 'eight home-schooled odd muggleborns and their tutors staying at Hogwarts'."

Harry blinked. "That's it? Nothing about their fight or why they're 'odd'?"

"Nope."

Finding them after the fight hadn't been easy. Harry had managed to bump into Ren and Nora purely by accident, who gave him a headache after three minutes of talking to her. The conversation was easy to follow at least; Ren wanted to know about their classes. Harry was honest. Ignoring Nora was impossible, but somehow (maybe due to years of practice) Ren seemed to.

Then an hour later he found Mercury sitting in an alcove reading as Nora ran past being chased by an irritated Ruby with Emerald leaning against a wall nearby. When he asked, Mercury merely responded 'Nora stole Ruby's cookies' without looking up. How Ruby hadn't caught up to her with her speed was something Harry didn't understand. Emerald had merely shrugged, as if it was a common occurrence. Ruby was very friendly. Harry made a mental note to not steal her cookies.

The questions about the different subjects had been asked to a lot of students from all the Houses. As they weren't Sorted (and weren't going to be) everyone was neutral about them, with the exception of most of the Slytherins. Still, Blake had been talking with one of the girls in his year without any issues: Daphne Greengrass. Harry could see the logic in the no Sorting part. It would only cause problems.

Harry had decided to write a letter to Sirius. He had been asked to be kept updated. The letter just had to be phrased carefully. This didn't seem to have anything to do with Voldemort though. Maybe Harry was just being paranoid. So far, he hadn't had any dreams like the one he had during the summer. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

It was a Hogsmeade weekend and, due to the mandatory assembly the previous day, the next weekend was too. As he had officially missed out on most of it and the fear of a mass murderer was gone, Harry was looking forward to it. After his trip to the Owlery and see Hedwig, he was heading there.

Farther down the table, Fred and George had their heads together and appeared to be planning something. Whatever it was, Harry hoped it wasn't aimed at him.

Then Harry saw Angelina heading towards him. She stopped at the table and interrupted the twins. After a moment, they grinned and nodded. With a smile, she headed towards him.

"Hey Harry. Are you up for a Quidditch match next week?"

Harry blinked. "I thought Quidditch was cancelled this year."

"Officially, they are. Still, as those students gave us an exhibition match, they wanted to see a Quidditch match. That kind of…snowballed into a tournament. Even Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are getting involved. So what do you say?"

"Definitely!" Then Harry frowned. "Who's the Keeper?"

"Try-outs are tomorrow morning. Spread the word. I've left a notice in the Common Room. We don't have much time to train them, but we'll give it a good go. Thanks Harry. Now I've got to find Katie."

"She may have headed out already."

"Good point. See you around Harry."

Hermione shook her head as Angelina left. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea. What if a Champion gets picked and they get injured on the Quidditch Pitch? Yes it's their own fault, but still. It seems odd that they would cancel it only to reinstate it."

"Maybe it was too popular of an idea. I mean, if all the schools want it and it doesn't clash, they don't exactly have an excuse. Besides, it wouldn't stop us from taking our brooms down to the Pitch and playing anyway."

"True. Or maybe they want to take advantage of having a famous sportsman in the school."

"Ron's going to love that." Harry thought back to a few games he had had at the Burrow. "Think he'd be interested in trying out?" He had been pretty good and he loved the game.

"Against Krum? It would be a dream come true. If he didn't panic."

"He'll be fine. He didn't seem to have any problems before."

"That was against his family. You've seen how he responds to Malfoy's goading. If he does get on the team, I hope his first match isn't against Slytherin." Harry rubbed his head. Hermione noticed. "Is something wrong? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No. It's nothing." Even if it was, he had no interest in walking into the Hospital Wing under his own power. "How do you think Snuffles is doing?"

Hermione blinked at the change of topic. "Well, if it was bad news, it would plastered all over the Daily Prophet. He's probably fine."

"I need to head to the Owlery before we go to Hogsmeade. Where do you want to meet me?" Someone had to get Ron up and Hermione could do it while Harry was writing and sending his letter.

"Entrance Hall. We've only got half an hour before the last carriage leaves for the day."

It was rather annoying that the carriages only left before ten, but could return to Hogwarts at any time. If they wanted to, they could hop out of the carriage that took them there and immediately jump into a different one to head back.

Harry's mind wandered as he headed up to the Owlery. Hermione was right in that Sirius' capture would be front page news, but it still angered him that he was being hunted at all. If only Pettigrew hadn't escaped-

Harry broke off those thoughts. He had learnt at the Dursleys that 'what if' games were very bad for him. The reality was they didn't have Pettigrew and that the Minister hadn't believed them. Until they caught the rat, they couldn't help Sirius.

It was only when he was in the Owlery that he began to think what he was going to write.

'Hey Snuffles,

How are things with you? I can't wait for the Tri-Wizard Tournament to start. It'll be good to see some N.E.W.T level magic, other than what I was taught last year.

In case you didn't see it in the Prophet, there are eight new students here. They're not like any magical I've ever seen. You wouldn't believe the stuff they can do. One even disarmed Snape without magic and broke his hand.

Guess what? Quidditch is back on this year. They cancelled it for the Tri-Wiz and reinstated it for some reason with the other schools involved. I'm looking forward to meeting Krum in the air, Seeker to Seeker. I also owe Cedric a win for that match last year (nothing against you, you got me a Firebolt).

Talk to you soon,

Harry'

A re-read of the letter and nothing stuck out to him as odd. The bit about Snape should give Sirius a good laugh. Harry was also looking forward to giving him a play by play of his Quidditch matches, especially against the star he had watched at the Quidditch Cup Finals.

Hedwig gave him an affectionate nip and took off.

Time to meet Hermione and Ron in the Entrance Hall.

* * *

At the end of Sunday night, the eight Beacon students were back in their Common Room shortly before curfew. Their day had been quite informative.

The first years had been easy to talk to. Then it started to vary by age, House and individuality. They appeared to take House rivalry a bit too seriously, but were happy to help. Nearly all of them asked if they were going to get Sorted, but didn't seem to mind that the answer was 'no'.

They had gotten information about the subjects at least and had even had a few guides to show them where the classes took place. They hadn't managed to talk to the teachers though, but had been invited to sit in the classes for First or Third Years, depending on the subject.

Again, Potions had provided a problem. Everyone seemed to agree that Snape put the instructions on the board and told them to get to work, not explaining anything. Emerald had tried to get a potions laboratory out of the Room of Requirement and had succeeded, complete with books that did explain the subject. Ozpin allowed them to use it, provided that they were never alone; three at the very least.

Mercury's already low opinion of Hogwarts professors wasn't helped by the fact History of Magic was apparently taught by a very boring ghost. Naturally, after hearing his complaints, Goodwitch told him that he and Emerald would be observing that class. He had to admit he should have seen that coming.

For some reason, Moody had said that he wanted the eight of them in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class. They didn't understand that; it was heavily dependent on magic they couldn't do. Even so, they agreed.

They had noticed that a lot of the older students had left the castle and were told about Hogsmeade. They were curious, but without money they were a little stuck. Besides, they needed to learn their way around a magic castle first. If that had been done by the next weekend, Professor McGonagall was willing to provide them with some to 'learn their currency'.

Mercury suspected that was because of their arguing for these Quidditch matches. She had been very interested in their proposal. Quite frankly, it sounded like a fantastic sport that would fit right in at Beacon. It would certainly explain why they needed such a good infirmary.

Oddly enough, despite quite a few muggleborns attending that had never heard of magic save a few months before attending, there wasn't a class on wizard culture. That just didn't make sense, especially as they had a Muggle Studies course that was very outdated.

Some aspects of this school were good, some were bad and some just didn't make any sense.

Ruby, Emerald and Mercury had had a great time seeing what that Room of Requirement could do. A swimming pool was fine, but an arcade was not. Training room with mannequins with and without aura: perfectly fine. When they tried for their library at Beacon, they got the exact room but with empty shelves. It looked like the books had to already be in Hogwarts to appear in the Room. It did somehow give them the Conquering Remnant board game though, even if they couldn't take it outside the room. It also couldn't supply them with food.

So far, the three had avoided eating in the Great Hall. Emerald hadn't wanted to and neither of them liked big crowds. They had called on Tippy when they got peckish and had gone down to the kitchens for dinner.

ZBRN and Yang had braved the Great Hall for lunch (when it was sparsely populated) and dinner (when nearly everyone was there). Yang had said it was quite different from Beacon and not just louder or more crowded. Though she didn't say it to Emerald, Yang did tell Mercury alone that it was probably a good for Emerald to avoid it if she could until everyone calmed down. After Mountain Glenn, Emerald hadn't been herself and the last thing she needed was an interrogation when they had to stick to lies. While the adults had also eaten in the Great Hall, Ozpin had checked in on them.

After hearing about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Mercury decided the night of the Champions being picked would be when they joined the others for dinner. The focus wouldn't be on them then and most of the stupid questions would have already been asked to the others. While Emerald wouldn't mind (and would probably like) staying in the kitchens, he knew Ruby would prefer to be with everyone even if she didn't say it.

One aspect of the Room of Requirement was that it didn't appear to others if the person inside didn't want it to. Given the insane things it could do and the lack of interesting other things save exploring the castle, it was likely they would be spending quite a while in there. That was where their Combat Classes would be and Ozpin was happy to continue Kingdom Studies himself. What Amber was going to be doing, Mercury didn't know.

Ozpin had told Ruby that if they were using the Room for sensible reasons and they didn't want to return to the dorm provided, they were to send Tippy to tell him. Given that the Room could become an exact replica of their dorm room at Beacon, they were more comfortable in there and the many conditions they could place made them feel safer. They had promised not to abuse that trust.

At the moment, there didn't seem to be anything suggesting the reason why they had been dragged here. None of the Hogwarts students they spoke to seemed to think that anything was odd (except for them). That being said, they were quite oblivious to everything save a rumour mill that seemed to work at the speed of light.

They were also worryingly gullible.

Somehow, Mercury thought that the time spent in this world was going to feel very long.

* * *

 **AN: In hindsight, I should have put some details about the backstory from the RWBY half in the previous chapter. For that, I apologise.**

 **The first divergence from canon was when the three attacked Amber. They lost. Cinder went one way, Emerald and Mercury were forced to go another. Qrow followed them and caught up with them two days later. One important mechanic I added was the presence of what I called an 'Animin bond' between Emerald, Mercury and Ruby. While it will be described later when relevant, at the time Qrow caught up to Emerald and Mercury, Ruby had already been drawn to them because of it. At the time, Qrow's options had been to kill the two (which would immediately kill Ruby) lock them up (along with Ruby as she felt pain when they were too far away) or adopt the two for the short term. He chose the last. The bond would settle in a few months and allow Ruby to be separate from them without feeling pain.**

 **Two months after being adopted, Mercury is kidnapped by Cinder. He refuses to work for her again. Five days after he was taken, he was found more dead than alive outside the Kingdom. Their adoption became permanent. The family is aware of their past and kept them anyway. Cinder successfully attacked the Spring Maiden, but the girl was killed before the transfer was complete. That remaining power went to Emerald. The three started dating a month into Beacon.**

 **Zephyr is one OC I added and is the leader of team ZBRN (Zephyr, Blake, Ren and Nora). Team JWMP may be mentioned, but are not really plot relevant here. Jaune, Weiss, Melody (another OC) and Pyrrha.**

 **Another thing I added was silver Dust. This leaves scars on the skin that never heal if they damage someone without aura. There is no known treatment. At Mountain Glenn, Emerald was defeated and scarred by a silver Dust weapon. Those scars are still there on her chest and stomach, so she wears a full shirt instead.**

 **The final important thing is that Mercury is an Aura Wielder, which is superior to most common Huntsman, but inferior to Maidens. It is easier to explain what he can do in context, so I will explain more when it becomes necessary. For example, the little kitten from the first chapter was something he created with his aura. It is not a Semblance.**

 **Obviously there are a lot more plot points for the series, but this is the bare minimum needed to enjoy this on its own. Any other questions, feel free to ask.**

 **There was concern that Huntsman greatly overpower wizards. It is a very valid concern and I would like to reassure that I did keep this in mind, along with the fact that killing is rare. This is the main reason I didn't Sort them into Houses and for the exhibition match in this chapter.**

 **Many thanks for reading.**


	3. Conflicts and Consequences

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

 **One thing I forgot to mention is aura reading. It is essentially communication through touch between friends. If they are experienced enough with the person, the words are obvious. If not experienced, it is a mess of images and emotions that need to be interpreted. Aura reading is shown by [ ].**

* * *

Blake and Zephyr sat at the back of the Third Year Muggle Studies class. They had stayed silent and merely observed. They also didn't move when class was over until the final Hogwarts student left the room.

Professor Burbage sighed and headed forward to sit opposite them. Unlike the students, the Hogwarts teachers were well aware they didn't come from the same world and wouldn't understand how much of the wizarding world worked. They had been surprised to learn that their world was similar, if not more advanced than the muggle world.

Zephyr asked the obvious question. "Why is the course so outdated?"

For a moment, the professor was quiet. When she spoke, it wasn't the answer they were expecting. "There are those in the government that believe that knowing the truth will only endanger the Wizarding World. Muggles are seen as inferior to magicals and if it is discovered how dangerous they are, there will almost certainly be a war. A war that the Wizarding World would lose."

Blake frowned. "But surely you need to understand their world if you wish to remain unnoticed in it."

"That is the other half of the argument. However, so few purebloods venture into the muggle world that it isn't relevant and the muggleborns already understand it."

"It still seems like a very bad idea," Zephyr commented. "While I agree that separation is a good idea, surely you understand that you will be discovered at some point in the future? If you become so far behind in your understanding of them, it will only lead to extinction."

"That is something for the future generations to decide." Professor Burbage obviously wasn't happy with her answer. She didn't agree but she couldn't deviate from the course she is paid to teach and that the exams are on. "Any other questions?"

"Now you mention it, why are there no classes on Wizard Culture?"

"It is the belief that the muggleborns need to discover that on their own."

Blake shared an incredulous look with Zephyr. They may be interested in Wizarding Culture, but then they were 17 and were trapped here for the foreseeable future until they completed some task that took them home. They expected 11 year olds to think about culture when they had only just learned a few weeks before that they were magical? Blake knew she would be more interested in what she could do rather than investigating other things.

This was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Thank you for your time Professor Burbage," Blake stated, standing with Zephyr. "We won't keep you from your next lesson."

"Although I think we both know the answer, how many would be interested in taking this course?"

Blake frowned. "Nothing against you professor, though I can only speak for myself properly, I don't think the others will be interested in attending."

Zephyr nodded in agreement.

Professor Burbage wasn't surprised by that answer. "It is a shame, but fair enough. Thank you for attending today."

"Not a problem professor," Zephyr replied. He seemed troubled.

Blake was in agreement.

* * *

Ren and Nora found themselves in Ancient Runes. While this was a challenging subject, it was also a fascinating one. It also had the potential to be very rewarding.

The starting point was learning symbols and an ancient alphabet which does not translate directly into English. Much of it was obvious, although it would take effort to memorise them. Others were so similar to each other, a flick on the tip could be the only difference. In order to translate into English, the symbols had to be recognised in a different language first.

The most interesting point for Ren was that these runes, when empowered with magic, could support an enchantment such as wards (something that sounded like a very specific force field). Maybe this was a way to focus magic that they could use.

One theory that Ren wanted to test was whether or not runes could be fuelled with Dust, rather than magic. The symbols themselves had power, but it was magic that triggered and supported the effects.

Ren could certainly understand why Professor Babbling insisted they attend a Third Year class. This was one subject he would personally be staying in and he thought the others would be interested as well.

* * *

Ruby and Yang were having an interesting time in Divination.

As all of the Beacon students wanted to sit on subjects as soon as possible, preferably on the same day, they didn't end up with the same Hogwarts Years. Ruby and Yang were in with the Fourth Years and Lavender had told them that 'know it all Granger' had walked out of the class the previous year.

Yang re-evaluated her opinion of Hermione.

That thought, Yang could sort of see why she did it. This class was bizarre. While Yang was aware that predicting the future was not going to be black and white, if it was even possible, but she wasn't sure what she was expecting. She had been expecting a little history to be included, with the whole 'those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it'. She had seen fortune tellers at festivals and they used cards and crystal balls.

However, there was some logic to what they did. This class was just downright confusing. It seemed to go along the lines of 'make something up and put a load of misery in it'.

Still, it was a very entertaining class.

It would have been worrying the way the professor predicted Harry's death, but his eye roll when her back was turned along with the disinterest of the class made Yang think it was a common occurrence. That didn't bode well.

The focus of this term was apparently predicting the future using the position of the planets and the stars. Which gave Ruby and Yang a good laugh. According to this, Neptune should be subtle and Mercury was the planet of communication.

On one hand, this class would be useless and most of the students didn't think it was accurate. On the other hand, it was a good laugh and they had too much time on their hands.

* * *

The morning hadn't been that bad (although where in what world did Hagrid find those things?), but his afternoon dragged. Harry impatiently counted down the minutes of Divination until the lesson ended. Ron had skived off the lesson altogether, choosing to head to the Pitch to practice.

The second he was at the bottom of the ladder, Harry ran back to Gryffindor Tower. He had left his Firebolt under his bed and Angelina wanted all the players down there so she could see how they worked together with their new keeper. He couldn't wait to get back in the air again.

"Oi, scarhead!"

Harry groaned and decided to ignore the little ferret. He had already made it out of the castle, so a few more steps and he could just fly away.

"'Scarhead'? That's the best you can do? What are you, five?"

On second thought, Harry did not want to miss this. Even if Ron was trying out, he would understand why he was late.

Malfoy turned around. He had already been drawing a crowd, but Mercury's interruption attracted even more. He and Emerald were the only ones from their school there.

"Well, if it isn't a mudblood and his whore."

There was grumbling and hissing in the crowd. No one interfered though. Crossing Malfoy only got you slammed in detention when Snape showed up. Just because Snape wasn't in sight didn't mean he wasn't around.

Emerald and Mercury didn't react, save for Mercury raising an eyebrow. "Interesting choice of words. Do you even know what they mean?"

Malfoy blinked, clearly confused. No one had expected that reaction. "Of course I know-"

"So you're mentally deficient. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

The crowd was silent.

Malfoy spluttered. It took a few seconds for him to get the words out. "W-What did you just say?"

Mercury rolled his eyes. "I have to explain that? I called you stupid."

"You should watch that filthy mouth of yours before you get into trouble."

"I'm not the one using crude language." Mercury folded his arms. Emerald tilted her head slightly. "Though, I am curious. How do you define 'mudblood'?"

Malfoy scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? A magical child from _muggle_ parents." That word was spat out. "Only purebloods are worth associating with."

Oddly Mercury nodded. "That's what we thought you would say. In order to keep a pureblood line pure, doesn't that mean all the families are related?"

"Well, duh."

"That would mean you would have to marry your relatives. I believe that's called 'inbreeding'. That could be classed as a mudblood from a different point of view. They have been proven to be inferior, especially when it comes to fighting illness. Along with a few other nasty side effects."

Harry wondered if Mercury realised exactly how many people he had just gleefully insulted there. Still, the idea of inbreeding was a disgusting one. It had never occurred to him to think of humans in that way.

"What potions have you been taking?" Malfoy sneered. "Purebloods are clearly superior."

"How? In terms of magical power and general intellect, muggleborns are superior. That is obvious to everyone who looks at the evidence. How are purebloods superior?"

"Purebloods control the government."

"And this is why government seats that run in the family are a bad idea. You never earn anything for yourself." Mercury then let out a dark chuckle. "Although in a few generations, that won't matter. There won't be enough purebloods to keep that going. Enjoy your time to shine, Draco. Though I'm expecting you to burn before that." He turned to Emerald. "How long? Three years?"

Emerald studied the Slytherin for a moment. "I reckon he wouldn't last one."

Draco growled. _"Melofors."_

Harry's wand was in his hand instantly, but he wouldn't be able to do anything. How was Malfoy that much of an idiot to fire a spell? He was going to get flattened.

He was right.

Mercury didn't dodge the spell. He brought his arm up and used the metal guards to reflect the spell back. It hit Crabbe in the face, where a pumpkin appeared. Malfoy's second spell was the same, only it hit Goyle. His entire body locked up and he fell backwards to the ground.

"You know, I was wondering how _you_ got Sorted into Slytherin. You don't have much cunning or any sense of self-preservation. Still, I suppose it takes a lot of ambition to think you can breeze through life without putting any effort in. Then we decided it was a lack of other options. You don't know the meaning of hard work, so Hufflepuff was out. You are nowhere near smart enough to be in Ravenclaw. That left Gryffindor, though you're more stupid than brave. But your father wouldn't be happy about that, would he? Slytherin was all that was left."

Malfoy was beyond furious. This time, he didn't just aim at Mercury. He went for Emerald too. She merely stepped aside. A few students directly behind her didn't get out of the way in time and there were quite a few moans and angry growls.

This time though, Mercury wasn't passive. Almost faster than Harry could follow, he approached Malfoy. Not a second later, Malfoy screamed.

"Might want to see Madam Pomfrey about that." Mercury was rather calm, as if there wasn't a bleeding boy in front of him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a better use of my time."

Harry was one of the few who was close enough to the two to hear what Malfoy hissed next. "Both you and your whore will pay for this."

Mercury's face changed into a very sadistic grin. "I look forward to your cute attempts. Depending on who you target, you may be in one piece when they take you to the hospital permanently." He turned to the rest of the crowd. "That goes for all of you. Anyone targeting my girls are going to regret it."

The students were silent and allowed Malfoy to pass by unhindered. His two bodyguards, limping and groaning despite breaking through the spells, followed him. Harry knew that head wounds tended to bleed a lot and looked worse than they were. Malfoy should count himself lucky the blade went across his cheek rather than his eye. Madam Pomfrey would fix it in no time.

Harry couldn't see a blade on Mercury now. He hadn't even seen him use it.

Mercury knelt down and picked up something in the grass. It was only when he handed it to Emerald that Harry saw what it was.

"You cut through Malfoy's wand?"

Mercury shrugged. "Not against the rules. If you aim a wand at me, I'm going to take it as a threat. As 'purebloods control the government', I'm sure he can afford a new one."

"It's not that simple. A wizard's wand is precious to them." Harry wasn't sure how to explain Ollivander's shop to them; it had to be experienced to be understood properly.

"Then he should have treated it as such. Why should I respect something he clearly doesn't? Especially if it's something 'precious'."

"Heh. You say that Silvertongue, but don't respect anything, do you?"

Harry spun around. There was a man there that wasn't before. By how he was dressed and the thing on his back, he was obviously with them. He was somehow different though. He may be almost swaying on the spot, but his eyes remained fixed on the two Remnant students.

Mercury smirked back. "I respect things that deserve respect old man."

They knew each other and by how Emerald was also smiling, they were on good terms. Still, why had one of them not appeared with the rest? And how did he find Hogwarts, never mind get there?

"Do we need to have the chat on respecting all living creatures again?"

Emerald chuckled. "That's still not going to stick with us."

"And I was under the impression you two were good actors."

Mercury laughed. "You'd be surprised."

The man's eyes studied the crowd before flickering back to them. "Maybe I wouldn't be." He then shrugged. "What happened to not wanting to stick out?"

"The idiot saw a much toned down exhibition match and still tried to pick a fight with us. That stupidity needs a heavy handed approach, especially with how old he was."

Harry didn't understand that.

 _Hang on. That was toned down? What are their matches usually like?_

"Does not change the fact I didn't break any of their rules." Mercury could not be right about that. How was cutting a boy across the face not against the rules?

"You do realise that you're still in trouble, right?"

Emerald shrugged with a smile. "Maybe, but Headmaster Ozpin did tell us that their rules applied. He said nothing about ours."

"You two are incorrigible. And that excuse isn't going to wash."

The two nodded in agreement. They didn't seem bothered.

"So how about it old man?" Mercury stepped forward and positioned himself into a fighting stance. "Up for a round?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "You're that bored?"

Emerald scoffed. "We've just spent the last hour with a ghost that could put an insomniac to sleep."

So they had had to sit in with Professor Binns. Harry felt a little sorry for them.

"And Mercury?"

Emerald folded her arms. "Managed to stay awake. Barely. Most likely due to a bet."

The man jerked his head. "Fair enough."

Then he struck.

His blade didn't look like a normal sword. He was also using it with one hand, despite its immense size. That, coupled with his speed, was almost unbelievable if the match the day before hadn't been seen.

Harry immediately joined the crowd on the other side. They would need room and he had no intention of being in the way. Neville moved aside a little to give him a spot.

There was something Harry noticed. Mercury had been one of the best the day before, if not _the_ best. Now, he was almost always on the defensive with many good hits thrown in. He was obviously outmatched, but he was still doing very well.

If Mercury was a student, then this man was most likely a qualified Huntsman. If the students could do that and more, Harry didn't want to think on what the graduates could do.

SLAM

CRASH

CRUNCH

Mercury did have one advantage. When he moved in close enough to attack, there wasn't much room for the sword to be swung. Along with that, he was very quick to dodge the attacks. If they couldn't connect, there was no damage done.

 _That…That…That is just flat out impossible._

To dodge one swing, Mercury had rolled to the side. The blade had been brought down. Mercury had been on his back, brought his legs up and blocked it. He stopped a heavy blade by using his feet as a barrier. He kicked the blade back, bounced back to his feet and continued.

Maybe they weren't fully human.

"Professor Ozpin, can I assume this man is with you?"

Harry jumped and glanced behind him. Dumbledore had arrived at some point and was watching the fight with curiosity. Professor Ozpin was next to him and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Indeed he is."

"You are not concerned that he is attacking one of your students?"

"He is Mercury's adopted father. They would not spar unless both agreed to it. This is a friendly match."

"Adopted? What happened to his biological father?"

"He died."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby had arrived and was bouncing in obvious excitement.

Yang was annoyed. "They could have waited for us before starting."

The pair then headed over to Emerald, who hadn't moved since the fight started. She did nothing more than nod at them, but Ruby slipped her hand into hers.

It was very odd seeing a kid who used a kick based style hold his own against an adult with a huge sword-like blade. It was unreal in a different way than the fight before.

"Enough."

At Professor Ozpin's call, Mercury jumped over the man (Crow?) instead of whatever attack he had planned after his run up. The man sheathed his sword.

Then he glanced at Mercury. "Ever get the feeling you're in trouble?"

Mercury hummed and cast an eye over his surroundings. "In fairness, this isn't even our courtyard we've destroyed."

Professor Goodwitch gave them both a glare and raised the whip. To Harry's surprise, the stones began to fly back into place. In seconds, it was as if nothing happened. That was a lot like their magic.

"A word Qrow?" Professor Ozpin asked, though it sounded like an order.

Ruby giggled and dashed to Qrow's side. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Hey kiddo. They been treating you right?"

"Yep! A real prince and princess."

Emerald leaned over and whispered something in Mercury's ear. He laughed and picked her up, bridal style. Ruby pouted and dashed in front of him. He immediately turned his gaze away.

"I don't care what you want Ruby. I refuse to look at you when you do that."

Ruby didn't move. With a grin, Yang started counting on her hand. One. Two. Thr-

"Okay, fine. What do you want?"

Ruby somehow managed to hug them both. With a sigh, Mercury knelt down so Ruby could jump on his back. Emerald smirked and wrapped her arm under Ruby's hood, helping to support her. Mercury was now carrying both of them.

Most of the students had seen Mercury and Emerald together and affectionate with one another. Lavender then started saying she had seen Mercury and Ruby looking very snug in the library yesterday. With these students constantly being the main part of the Rumour Mill since they arrived, this one started a lot of theories. Especially as quite a few witches were interested in him and a good number of boys thought Emerald was a good catch.

However, those actions spoke volumes. They were both dating Mercury. Both girls knew about the other and _approved_. Finally, they were not sharing him with anyone else.

At the time, Harry hadn't noticed Mercury had been speaking about more than one girl with his threat. With what happened to Malfoy and seeing what all of them could do, no one in their right mind would be going anywhere near them.

"Sap," Yang chuckled.

Mercury raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond.

Qrow also chuckled. "Get moving Silvertongue. You're still in a lot of trouble."

"Spoilsport," Mercury muttered.

Within minutes, all of them had disappeared into the school.

"Wow," Neville muttered. "I'll never get used to seeing that."

"Neither will I," Harry agreed, his grip tightening around his Firebolt. He would rather attempt to escape than stand and fight them.

"Think Malfoy will be okay?"

"Definitely. Head wounds often look worse than they are. He's not going to be happy that his wand's broken though."

"Yeah. Gran would kill me if something happened to my father's wand."

Harry frowned. "Your father's wand? Is that the one you're using at the moment?"

"Yeah. I won't let his legacy die."

Neville had been using a mismatched wand? Was it as important as Ollivander said? Harry thought back. "Neville, do you remember Ron broke his wand in Second Year? And the one he got worked better for him? Maybe your problems with spells come from that."

Neville strongly shook his head. "But this is a powerful wand. I know it." That was said with a lot more confidence than Harry usually heard from Neville.

"For your father, yes. But maybe not for you."

Neville obviously thought it over. "I think you're wrong."

"We won't know until you talk to Ollivander. How about we go on the next Hogsmeade weekend? I'm sure Madam Rosmerta will let us use the floo powder for a fee."

"We're not supposed to leave Hogsmeade."

"And how will they know? I'll even get Ron and Hermione to cover for us. How about it? You don't even have to buy a new wand if you really don't want to."

"What if we get caught?"

"Then I'll tell them it's my fault. It won't even be a lie. So what do you say?"

"…I'll…think about it."

"Just let me know." Then Harry remembered why he had his Firebolt. "I've got to go." With that, he ran off.

The Quidditch Pitch wasn't far and Harry got there in a few minutes at a full pelt run. Five hopefuls were already up in the air. The Weasley twins were also up and the bludgers had been released. The chasers were on the ground. Harry gave them a wave before heading over to Ron, one of the few hopefuls that hadn't had a turn yet.

"What took you so long?" Ron's voice was shaky.

"Just saw Mercury vs Malfoy. Mercury won."

In a way, that both calmed and excited him. "Well, what happened? Did they fight? How bad was Malfoy hurt?"

Harry gave him all the details. Ron was a very good audience and hung on every word. He gaped when he heard about Mercury reflecting the spells back and chuckled as Malfoy got more frustrated. That expression changed to anger when he heard about stray spells hitting the crowd. His jaw dropped again at the ending of the fight.

"He was actually bleeding? Mercury is going to be in so much trouble."

"According to him, he didn't break any of our rules." Harry shook his head when Ron opened his mouth again. "I'm not done. Turns out Mercury's adopted and the new father showed up then." Ron didn't interrupt during that story either.

"Hang on. You mean Lavender was telling the truth?"

"That's what it looks like. He was definitely cosy with both of them."

"So there's another one of them."

"Yeah."

Harry didn't get to say more. Angelina came over. Behind her, Harry could see the other hopefuls landing, some looking very battered while others looked fine. It was one thing to see the Weasley twins in action; it was another thing entirely to have them aiming at you.

"Alright, time for the rest of you."

Ron was definitely a lot calmer now than he had been when Harry arrived. He took off into the air with grim determination.

"What'd I miss?" Harry asked.

"Not much. There are some that are good, but none are brilliant. To be honest, I'm hoping these guys are better."

Ron knew how good his brothers were. While they hadn't played with bludgers at the Burrow, Harry wasn't worried. Ron had been an excellent Keeper then and he knew how to fly. All he had to do was not let the twins wind him up.

 _Nice Ron…Good…Duck...Brilliant work._

Ron had been very good against the bludgers. Now he had to manage the chasers without them. These exercises were done the other way around with the first group, so Harry didn't see it. He hoped Ron would beat them though. He was sure he had the skill for it.

 _One…Two…Three…Come on Ron…Four…Yes!_

Ron saved all five. The second and the last were very near misses, but he got them. That was all that mattered.

Then someone called McLaggen also blocked five.

Angelina landed. "Alright guys, form a group over there. We'll let you know our decision in a minute."

They grumbled, but did what they were told. Ron looked like he was shaking a little. The team waited for them to be out of earshot before talking. Angelina started.

"Okay, I'm thinking either Ron or Cormac. Thoughts?"

"Cormac's the stronger flier," Katie commented. "But he's a bit too arrogant for a team sport. You'll be arguing constantly."

Harry had never met Cormac before but a key point in Quidditch, especially among the six playing in the main game, was teamwork. If someone didn't play well with the others, defeat was almost certain.

"Ron's good," Harry inputted. "It's just his nerves that are the problem."

"That could be a big a problem, especially against the Slytherins or one of the Durmstrang teams."

Alicia nodded. "So our best choices are between someone who won't work with the team and someone who could collapse at any minute." She turned to the twins. "What do you two think?"

"Having had the misfortune of meeting Cormac…" Fred started.

"…Ron would be the better choice." George finished, almost sadly.

Angelina sighed. "So we're decided. Ron?"

"Ron," the other five agreed.

Many of the ones who tried out weren't surprised they weren't picked; it was obvious that those two had been better. Some of them scowled, but none put up any resistance. Regardless of whether there was bias, there was the fact they lost.

McLaggen wasn't happy. "I'm better and you know it. Just because he's the friend of the Boy-Who-Lived and has two brothers on the team-"

"Is irrelevant," Angelina snapped. "You were both equal, so we needed to look at something else. Ron's a team player. You're not. Leave."

He didn't leave easily or quietly. Leaving Angelina and Alicia to deal with him, Harry approached Ron.

"Congratulations Ron. You're on the team. How's it feel?"

Ron nodded numbly. "Ask again later."

Harry laughed.

Finally, after McLaggen was gone, their practice got underway. As time went on, the more comfortable Ron became and his performance only improved. He may have been shaky at the start, but by the end he was pulling off excellent saves.

Ron was excited and was doing some well-deserved boasting on the way back to the dorm.

* * *

Having found himself in what the locals called the Ministry of Magic which was the heart of their government (though Qrow was doubtful about a lot of things that he observed), he wasn't surprised that the school was very similar.

Mercury was absolutely right: there was no rule against using a knife against another student.

Oz had not been happy to hear what Mercury had done. The problem remained that he hadn't broken any rules while his opponent had. All the adults, Amber included, had quizzed the crowd and all of them said the same things.

When they first went to the rooms they were staying in, Oz had given him a run-down of what was going on and what they knew about the world they were in. While five of the kids socialised with the Hogwarts students in the meantime, the three had gone up to the seventh floor for a multi-purpose room.

With all the facts put together, the picture it painted was bleak to Qrow.

Despite Mercury not acting against Hogwarts rules, he had broken Beacon's rules. There was no way they could let his behaviour slide. His actions had been in front of a very large crowd and they needed a reassurance he wouldn't do it again.

Qrow wanted to speak with him first.

A knock rang out. The four looked at each other before Glynda stood up to answer it. Qrow was going to guess this was Professor McGonagall. She looked very unhappy.

"Are you aware of what one of your students did this afternoon?"

"We are," Oz sighed. "Take a seat."

McGonagall glared. "Exactly what is there to discuss?"

"Sit down and we'll explain it."

She wasn't happy, but she did take a seat. "You assured us that your students would not act dangerously. This afternoon proves otherwise."

"And exactly what do we punish him for?" Qrow asked. "Knifing a student isn't against your rules. On the other hand, the blonde ferret used magic outside the classroom. That is against your rules. He shot at least ten spells that hit other kids before Mercury retaliated. What's his punishment?"

"Isn't being in the infirmary enough?"

"That depends," Oz responded. "You know your students. Is his reaction going to be to avoid Mercury or try and get revenge? All of us already know the answer."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What Year is Draco Malfoy in?"

"His Fourth. What does it matter?"

"Mercury may not have broken a Hogwarts rule, but he will be punished for his actions. He knows better. That being said, he has never done anything this extreme before." True for the most part unless he was pushed quite far in a kill or be killed situation. "The first words that Mr Malfoy spoke was 'mudblood and his whore'. This is something he says often."

McGonagall sighed. "That's not against the rules." Then she began to realise the problem.

"After Mercury responded calmly, Mr Malfoy begins firing spells. No less than twelve. By the reaction of the students watching, he does this often as well. That is what Mercury picked up on. Some of them even hit the crowd. As it is obvious Mr Malfoy has been in your school for a few years and hasn't learned not to fire spells at others, he chose to act himself."

"We agreed that you would handle your students and we would handle ours."

"Except that they have no confidence in your discipline. The behaviour of Mr Malfoy would suggest that he has never been held accountable for his actions."

McGonagall was stubborn. "He has never behaved that way in my presence."

Qrow scoffed. The kid may be remarkably thick, but he wasn't completely stupid.

"'Enemies of the heir, beware. You'll be next mudbloods.'" Amber shook her head. "He must have been twelve. He said this in a very crowded corridor. Are you saying that no one reported it? Also, this was the equivalent of endorsing _genocide_ , given the circumstances. It may not be against the rules, but there are limits to what is allowed."

The woman went pale. "How do you know about that?"

"I spoke to your students. Some are very talkative, especially when they know they aren't going to get in trouble for speaking freely."

"How dare you-"

"It matters not," Oz interrupted. "We'll handle Mercury. Despite the fact he broke no rules his behaviour was appalling, regardless of how necessary he thought it was. Is there anything else?"

McGonagall huffed, still furious. "Now you mention it, there is something worth asking about. Is there a specific treatment for wounds made by your weapons? While Madam Pomfrey has healed the damage, there is a scar that refuses to heal."

 _It was that knife._

Qrow honestly didn't know Mercury had kept it.

Ozpin sighed. "If he used the knife we think he used, then no. Silver Dust. Those scars remain forever. Again, not illegal, even by our laws. Just frowned upon. Your magic might have a cure, but we don't."

"Are you telling me that boy may be scarred for life!?"

"Probably," Qrow confirmed idly. What was the reason Mercury did it? Something to do with Emerald possibly.

"And where exactly did he get a knife like that?"

That was not a question they wanted to answer. For Qrow, those events were too recent. He was the one who answered. "He was sent on a mission a fortnight, by our standards, ago. Work experience sort of thing." Far from it. "One of the people that almost killed them had it."

"If that is all Professor McGonagall?" Oz asked. Qrow didn't know why he was so exasperated, but guessed it had something to do with the fact they were getting blamed for a kid being stupid enough to attack someone he had seen in action. While most of the blame was on Mercury's shoulders, at least they admitted that.

"I expect the Headmaster will want to talk with you soon." It was obvious that the woman was still very angry.

"I expect so."

"What is this to you? Do you care nothing for that boy that is now scarred for life?"

Professor Ozpin was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke.

"Mr Malfoy hit ten people in that crowd with different spells. Not one raised their wand to defend themselves. If used in a certain way, it is very easy to kill with your magic. Your students seem to think that being sent to the infirmary is less hassle than defending themselves against Mr Malfoy. I have little sympathy for him. After that exhibition match, what did he think would happen when goading the pair? He went looking for trouble and seemed to think he was immune to harm. He is a Fourth Year Deputy Headmistress. If he continues on this path, he will become a very dangerous criminal. You should not need rules to make you behave like a decent human. Unlike Mr Malfoy, I have no interest in allowing Mercury to learn his actions have no consequences. I have no doubt he is expecting punishment."

Interestingly, that was a lesson Mercury had already learned before attacking Amber. The first thing he had done was run, as he knew his behaviour was wrong. Qrow did not want Marcus Black's son to return.

Deputy Headmistress McGonagall was silent for many seconds. Her voice afterwards was shaky.

"Thank you for your time."

With those words, she left.

Qrow gave her five seconds before leaving himself. His destination: the Room of Requirement. He wasn't surprised that was where he would find them. He was willing to bet Emerald and Mercury would happily live in there if they could. When he got to the right corridor, he started to pace.

 _I need the room my nieces and son are in._

A door appeared.

It was their living room in Patch. The three were relaxed in a triangle, playing a card game. It looked like Go Fish. That almost made him chuckle. Mercury and probably Emerald were nearly eighteen and they were playing Go Fish. Badly if the scoring pad next to Ruby was any indicator.

 _I wonder how good they are at poker._

"Hi Uncle Qrow," Ruby chimed.

Qrow was here for a serious reason and his voice showed it. "Girls, I need to talk to Mercury alone."

They weren't surprised, but Ruby looked sad. "How much trouble is he in?"

"A lot Ruby. Off you go."

Ruby wasn't happy, but Mercury gave her a smile and a nod. "Why don't you two go get some dinner? We might be a while."

Emerald sighed. She didn't say anything as she slipped out of the room.

Ruby hesitated. "Uncle Qrow-"

"Go Ruby."

She didn't argue farther. She left too.

Mercury remained where he was, sitting on the floor. He was gave nothing away. Silently, Qrow sat opposite him. He had a lot of questions. Mercury was impossible to predict, but his actions were often easy to explain. That was why they were sure what they told Professor Angry was right.

"How's Emerald been today?" Her mood had been hard to read.

Mercury sighed. "It's been a bad day."

Qrow nodded. There were some days that the depression was stronger than others. Those days were impossible to predict.

"No distraction before this afternoon, huh?"

"We weren't kidding about the ghost. He teaches History of Magic, though I don't know why. Every other student in that room fell asleep almost instantly. Instead, her mind…drifted. I wasn't much help."

"Was that why you fought with Malfoy?"

"Partially. It wasn't the main reason though. Zephyr, Blake and Yang had asked around about the troublemakers. The name 'Malfoy' came up very often. Hermione told Blake he would still try to pick a fight. I didn't think anyone could be that stupid."

If he was honest, Qrow didn't either. "You must have thought he'd attack you."

"I did. I just thought he'd stop after I deflected his first spells. That was my plan when I first stepped in. Then I realised something. He didn't think the rules applied to him. He had been here for a few years and hadn't learned to respect the rules. Most likely, he never would and that meant I couldn't rely on Hogwarts disciplining their students. You should hear some of the stories the students told us about him. He is _never_ punished."

Qrow held out his hand. Mercury detached a sheath from his belt that was hiding underneath the emblem cloth and handed it over. When did he make a sheath for it? The fact he had meant one thing.

"The girls know you have this." It wasn't a question. Mercury had never left Emerald's side, so she must have been there when he created the sheath in the workshop. "Why did you keep it?"

"I intended to stab it into Ginger's eye when I met her again. It was the only thing that made Emerald smile that day."

"Why use it against Malfoy?"

Mercury sighed. "A message and curiosity. Could their magic heal silver Dust scars? Malfoy has access to the best healers in the country. If anyone can be healed by magic, he can. If not, then he would have a permanent reminder not to mess with me. He can't say I didn't warn him."

"You want a way to cure Emerald." Qrow sighed. "Mercury-"

"I know it's not that simple. But…" His voice dropped slightly. "Do you have any idea how often she stares at those words? How long she stands in front of a mirror? It's not an instant fix. I think it would help her though."

"You used Malfoy as a guinea pig."

"Yes. I did."

"Do you regret that? Possibly scarring him for life?"

Mercury didn't answer right away. When he did, he sounded confused. "Not exactly. In my mind, it falls under 'necessary violence', but I know it shouldn't be there. I suppose…disappointed. This shouldn't be an issue and it's me that's going to feel the worse consequences from these teachers thinking that ignoring acts like that is going to make the problem go away. Or hand out detentions for protecting yourself if Snape happens to be around, apparently. It rarely happened at Beacon and was dealt with quickly when it did."

"Beacon is a Combat School," Qrow responded slowly as the rest of his words registered. "Fixing matches to deal with bullying is not a way most schools would do it."

"It works. Their way, whatever it is, doesn't."

"That would mean it wasn't Malfoy's fault."

"He makes the conscious choice to take advantage of it. Ruby and Yang knew better at fourteen and were held accountable for their behaviour at school."

He did have a point. "Their father and uncle works at the school."

"And up until two years ago, Malfoy's father was on the Board of Governors. If he's going to break the rules and not be punished, why should I be punished for something that wasn't against the rules?"

"That's dangerous thinking Mercury."

"I know that. I knew when I did it I was going to get in trouble for it. That's fair enough; I don't expect to get away with behaviour like that. If it means that these students don't attack me or the girls, it's worth it. But I don't think they will learn anything if we leave it to their teachers."

Qrow ran a finger down the sheath. Emerald was already badly hurt, still feeling the effects of their experience at Mountain Glenn. One tripping spell on the stairs could snap someone's neck; that pumpkin head spell could suffocate someone; locking up the muscles in the body left their victim defenceless. Mercury treated a wand as a very dangerous weapon. That was perfectly understandable. The problem seemed to be that these Hogwarts students didn't.

"Do you think that they'll be able to heal the scar?"

"…No."

"Really? From what I've heard, they are miracle workers."

"I noticed." Mercury sighed. "You know Ruby is very willing to help people? That extends to allowing these students to test certain spells on her."

Qrow shook his head in exasperation. "And you let her."

"Not exactly. They had to use it on someone else first so we knew the wand movement and words. Only then."

"What's your point?"

"One of those spells hit me by accident, not that they noticed. I…felt it hit my aura, but it didn't work. The spell didn't work. There was barely a dent in my aura reserves. It worked against Ruby, very barely, but it worked. Our aura is a good natural defence."

Qrow understood what his logic. Their aura was a good defence against magic and, being an Aura Wielder, Mercury had much more aura than most. He was flat out immune unless he lowered his shield intentionally, like he must have done when Malfoy attacked them. Aura and Dust rated similar in terms of power, if not Dust being superior. Their magic was inferior to aura, so there was a good chance Dust was superior as well.

"You didn't think that their magic would work, yet you scarred him anyway?"

"Just because I don't understand their magic doesn't mean I disregard it. I don't know how potions work on us for example. I think it won't work. I might be wrong."

Mercury was a lot of things. When it came to things concerning his survival or someone he cared about, he was very thorough.

Qrow gave the knife back. "What subjects of theirs are you taking?"

Mercury attached it back in its original position. "Ancient Runes, definitely. We were thinking about Potions in this room. Care of Magical Creatures. Herbology." He thought it over. "That's it."

"Okay. For starters, you're taking History of Magic as well." If there was one thing Mercury hated, it was being bored. "Regardless of whether curfew applies to the other Beacon students, it's going to apply to you." The main problem with setting restrictions and punishments for Mercury was that it was difficult not to affect Ruby and Emerald. "I also want essays from you. You'll have a week to do it. If you need more time, show me what you have and I'll consider it. This week, I want information on how their justice system works." That was one topic they didn't have to study themselves. He had always believed in a productive use of time in detentions. If Mercury wanted to spend time with his Gems, he needed to earn it. It was harsh, but he had expected to permenantly scar a boy. Illegal or not, Qrow could not agree with that behaviour.

Mercury gave a resigned sigh, but nodded.

Qrow shifted to the side and threw an arm around Mercury's shoulders. He tensed up instinctively, but relaxed after a moment. He wasn't used to Qrow being so close.

"Silvertongue, it's this behaviour that worries us the most."

"What exactly am I supposed to do when those who are in charge don't do their jobs?" It wasn't said angrily. He merely sounded curious.

"In this case, breaking his hand would have been fine. They can heal that. The problem is that he may be scarred forever."

"…Did you hear what I did to Snape?"

"That's where that example came from."

"Snape is in charge of the House Malfoy is in. He practically _encourages_ that attitude. Malfoy knew we were dangerous and he still attacked us."

"As a part Maiden, there's a good chance Emerald is immune to their magic too."

"Not a chance I'm willing to take. Maybe it didn't work on Ruby because the caster was inexperienced with the spell or weak because she was a Second Year. He was aiming to injure and I doubt he would have cared if he killed."

Both sides had a point. Mercury had been wrong to retaliate the way he did. Malfoy had been wrong to attack in the first place. The difference is that Mercury would learn when Malfoy wouldn't.

"I wonder about that. Malfoy doesn't know what it feels like to kill. You're different than most due to your upbringing-"

"Original," Mercury murmured quietly.

Qrow smiled. "Original upbringing. Don't turn back now. I'm doubtful Malfoy is anything more than a pampered prince." Mercury chuckled. "How he'll respond to something money can't buy…" Qrow shrugged. "We can only guess. The problem remains: we are here for a reason. That means they screwed up somewhere and are stuck with us until it's dealt with. That does not mean we can do what we like."

"…That would be rather counter-productive."

"Exactly." Qrow patted his shoulder and stood. "Now, how about a tour of the nuthouse school?"

* * *

Albus was in the Hospital Wing, studying the results of Poppy's scan. According to them, there was no mark on Draco Malfoy's face, yet all of them could see it. It wasn't a dark line, but it was a very unusual one.

Severus was rather angry. Whether he was angrier at Mercury or Draco, Albus couldn't say.

Albus himself was in agreement. He was very disappointed with Draco's actions, but Mercury had no reason to react the way he did. He should have trusted the staff to handle Draco's poor behaviour. With so many students there, they would have learned of it sooner rather than later.

As much as he wished to, Albus could not allow the strangers to stay if they were a threat. He had hoped seeing them fight would have prevented altercations. This was unfortunate.

Minerva entered then. Although her face schooled into a stern expression, Albus had seen the uncertainty just before.

"Professor McGonagall? Did they have any answers?"

"They did, Headmaster. Given the nature of the knife involved, the wounds inflicted are permanent from their side. They have no cure."

That was not the answer Albus was expecting.

"What?!" Draco was furious. "You mean I've got to live with this forever?!"

"Mr Malfoy, mind your tongue. It is this attitude that got you into trouble in the first place. Twenty points from Slytherin for casting spells at other students and two weeks detention with Mr Filch."

Both Albus and Severus stared at Minerva.

"What? I'm the injured party here!"

"A result of your own actions. Tell me Mr Malfoy, when you called them 'a mudblood and his whore', what did you think was going to happen? You then attacked them before he attacked you. The decision stands."

"Wait until my father hears about this!"

"He will tell you that firing spells at fellow students and sending ten of them to the Hospital Wing was against the rules and very unSlytherin behaviour, along with threatening a professor. That will be another three weeks of detention."

"And what of Mercury?" Severus sneered. "Is he to escape punishment yet again?"

"I was told that, despite Mercury not breaking any Hogwarts rules, he will be punished for his appalling behaviour. His father is here also remember and he didn't seem happy with his actions."

Albus frowned. It had slipped his mind that, technically, Mercury hadn't broken a rule. "Very well." Perhaps having his adopted parent around would rein him in. "Poppy, I will leave Mr Malfoy in your care. Professors, would you mind joining me in my office?"

Draco was still complaining when they left the Hospital Wing. Severus was furious and was nearly stomping. Minerva was much calmer and had a very determined stride. Albus wondered exactly what else she had discussed with the professors.

The three were barely inside the office when Severus rounded on Minerva.

"And why, pray tell, was Mr Malfoy punished? Surely his expected _permanent_ scar is enough?"

"So we are going to allow him to escape punishment for sending no less than ten students to the Hospital Wing? I believe that is the punishment you gave Mr Weasley for having his wand out in the corridor with no magic used. While I believe he deserves more, general stupidity is not banned."

Albus sighed. "Minerva-"

"Before you say anything Albus, let me ask you this. How many students do you think approached me about what happened today? I will point out there were at least forty students there."

"I was there-" To his surprise, he was interrupted again.

"No you weren't. Mr Malfoy would not have behaved as he did if you were. You arrived later. So I will ask again. How many?"

Albus sighed. "By your words, I am going to guess none."

"Exactly. None. The students have _no_ interest in approaching us. Something that a _stranger to the_ _school_ picked up on instantly. He retaliated because he picked up on the fact that the students _have no faith in us_."

"Hardly our fault the dunderheads-"

"Enough! It is precisely that attitude that has led to this lack of faith. We have allowed students to display disgusting behaviour and done nothing to stop it."

"It is not against the-"

"I will point out Severus that Mercury's actions are not against our rules. Does that mean he is allowed to go around cutting students? Of course not. He knows his actions were wrong, but how else is he supposed to prevent Mr Malfoy from attacking him again? In the three years he has been here, his behaviour has only been getting worse."

Albus frowned. "I'm sure his behaviour is not that bad."

Minerva let out a frustrated growl. "Did he or did he not seem _gleeful_ about the possible deaths of muggleborns two years ago? It is our duty to teach our students right from wrong, _especially_ when their parents refuse to."

"You know that if we are too harsh-"

"And that means we sacrifice the rest of our students? To satisfy a few? Is this a school for everyone to study magic or a Death Eater training ground?"

Severus' jaw dropped.

Anger rose in Albus. "You go too far Minerva."

"Do I? If a child does not learn there are consequences to their actions, they will repeat and escalate their behaviour. Merely ignoring their behaviour sends that message. Muggleborns are seen as acceptable targets as we punish them for breaking rules or using words when we don't do so for purebloods."

"Their blood status-"

"Their political status then," Minerva cut over Severus. "The point remains. Unless we teach them when they are young, then they will never learn. This is a school. It is our job to educate them. If we treat the students differently, they will learn that some students are more equal than others. We will be creating Death Eaters, which makes us no different than them."

Albus fell silent.

"You cannot be serious," Severus responded. "If you try to clamp down on that, there will be a rebellion by the end of the week!"

"Then we will slam them all in detention, just like we would if they were muggleborns. Forty students just saw Mr Malfoy taunt Mercury and Emerald with disgusting language. When they responded with facts, he fired curses at them and hit the audience. If they see that Mercury's way is the only way that Mr Malfoy will be punished, we will have plenty of students wielding knives."

"Then we make an example of Mercury. Simple."

"That would cause the very rebellion you are trying to prevent and there are far more muggleborns. What message would we be sending then? 'Break the rules and you're safe; abide by the rules and be punished'? The students won't stand for that much longer."

Albus sighed in defeat. "What would you suggest, Minerva?"

"Mercury is being punished for appalling behaviour, despite it not being against the rules. We need to crack down on the bullying in the school. Unacceptable behaviour has become a common occurrence because we do nothing! There are plenty of Death Eater children in Slytherin that agree with that mind-set, but there are many more that do not. They live in fear because we are too busy trying to protect the guilty students. Enough is enough."

Severus turned back to his desk. "Headmaster, you can't-"

"Silence." Was Albus that detached from his own school that he had been in the presence of forty students that never reported the incident? The professors only knew because of Madam Pomfrey floo calling them about Draco's scar. She must have treated ten students and not told him. How often were students attacked in the corridors and didn't bother to bring it to the staff because there was no faith in their judgement? "Starting tomorrow, we will clamp down on this behaviour. There will be no announcement so we can find the main culprits."

"That's hardly fair-" Severus began.

"Understood." Minerva nodded. "Gentlemen." She turned and walked out.

Severus shook his head. "Headmaster-"

"She is not wrong, Severus. Warn your Slytherins if you wish, but starting tomorrow they will be held to a higher standard. I would rather have them in detention that in the Hospital Wing."

* * *

The results were obvious the next morning. Slytherin and, surprisingly Ravenclaw, quickly found themselves losing House Points fast. Flitwick was absolutely furious when he found that one of his students had been bullied by most of the House for over two years.

Severus Snape held back his insults, even to Harry Potter. He was slow to dish out punishment to his own House, but he was fairly quick to hand detentions each time he heard 'mudblood'. That more than anything brought the numbers down.

Despite all attempts to heal it, even from experts from St Mungo's, the scar remained on Draco Malfoy's cheek. His wand had been replaced by the afternoon. Lucius Malfoy had threatened to go after Mercury for the money, only for Qrow to point out that he would be waiting quite a while for it. Lucius tried to get Hogwarts to pay the bill as it had been damaged on their property, but Albus Dumbledore responded the wand was broken because Draco broke the rules and began firing spells at no less than ten students, one of which narrowly missing Neville Longbottom. Lucius backed down.

Conflicts between Hogwarts students began to result in a week detention for First Years, two weeks for Second Years and so on for both sides. The response was for those students to taunt outside of teachers' view, but the 'victim' merely attacked them, which drew the teacher's attention. With the tormentor in the Hospital Wing and both serving the same detention, they began to realise that having a teacher around was what kept the spells to merely 'irritating' and not 'annoying'

Very quickly, hostile occurrences dropped throughout the entire school.


	4. That One Day

**AN: In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

Halloween.

Years later, when Harry looked back, he would say this was the day when everything changed.

It started at breakfast. For the first time, all eight Beacon students ate in the Great Hall. Mercury was very quick to shut down the thought that he had gotten away with scarring Malfoy. He was in loads of trouble, as he should be.

Not sure how to respond to that, the topic quickly switched to the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Fred and George had been unsuccessful at getting their names in the Goblet and were now taking bets on whose name would come out.

Harry was hoping it would be someone from Gryffindor.

Then it arrived.

The post owls had yet to show up. This one was very obviously different. It carried a black envelope. When they saw it, the professors went white and completely still. The entire Great Hall was silent.

The Great Horned owl flew gracefully down the Hall. It slowed at the Slytherin table. It stopped at Theodore Nott.

With trembling hands, Nott took the envelope and read the contents. Without a word, he stood up and left the Hall.

Only after a few minutes had passed did the noise start. It never went above a whisper.

"What happened?" Harry muttered to George, who was farther down the table.

George swallowed before answering. "A black envelope is a notification from Gringotts. It means that a very close relative has died."

Died?

After a few more seconds, the noise petered back to non-existent again. All conversation had stopped and no one wanted to restart it. The quiet was absolute and suffocating. There was very little movement along any of the tables and most had sympathetic faces.

Five minutes of silence later, the post owls arrived. Painted on the front page of the Daily Prophet was the reason for the black envelope. The photo wasn't informative, only showing a witch and two wizards surrounding something on the ground.

'NOTT MURDERED

In the late hours of last night, the body of Alexander Nott was discovered in south London. Currently, not many details are known, but the body of the upstanding pureblood appeared to be burned to death. Given the evidence, the fire was magical in origin and was in no way natural. It is thought to be the result of very powerful Dark Magic. The suspect and motives are unknown.'

The something on the ground in the picture could be identified as something very charred, but there were no details. It was barely recognisable as a human body.

Harry didn't have a subscription to the Daily Prophet. Hermione read hers and silently passed it to him when she was done. Those acts were repeated all around the Hall.

Was this connected to Voldemort? It was too much of a coincidence not to be.

But Voldemort was known to support the pureblood agenda. That version of him in the Chamber of Secrets proved that to Harry, even if Voldemort was a half-blood. Why then was Mr Nott targeted? A known pureblood?

There was a tap on the edge of the paper.

Harry looked up and nodded, handing it over Ruby's head to give it to Mercury.

Was there bad blood between Mr Nott and Voldemort? Harry's dream made him think that Voldemort was almost in isolation, away from most of his followers. Just Pettigrew and some man that Harry didn't know. He would have thought Lucius Malfoy would be there if he was recruiting his old followers, but he hadn't been. That could have changed.

Mercury stood up, patted his girlfriends on the shoulder and headed out of the Hall. They didn't follow him and turned back to talk to Ren and Blake.

When the food appeared a few minutes later, conversations started again quietly. While some tried to go back to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, especially if Durmstrang or Beauxbatons were at their tables, most remained on the news.

"First the Dark Mark at the Quidditch Cup, now this," Hermione muttered.

Ruby frowned. "Umm…What is the 'Dark Mark'?"

It should be easy to remember that they wouldn't know the current history of their world. It was very obvious they weren't magical, but that could slip Harry's mind sometimes when he spoke to them. Their lack of knowledge wasn't a surprise when he thought about it. For the first few weeks, they would be focused on what has happened in recent years, not a war from over a decade ago.

"We'll explain it later Ruby. It's kind of a long story." Harry did wonder if he should tell them what had happened at Hogwarts in the past three years that didn't make the Rumour Mill, but he wasn't sure. He needed to think on it.

Hermione nodded. "Think of it like a terrorist's calling card."

That caught Emerald's attention, but she didn't ask for more details at the moment. Ren, Blake and Zephyr also seemed to want to ask questions, but chose not to.

For the first time, it crossed Harry's mind to wonder why they were here in the first place. Had they been 'unwillingly dragged here', as Mercury put it, to help fight Voldemort? That didn't make sense either. They would have appeared in his First Year then or even during the first war against Voldemort. So they were probably here for a different reason.

Harry turned back to Hermione. "It's not a coincidence, is it?"

Ron scoffed. "Yeah, but that doesn't make sense. Nott probably fought for You-Know-Who. He was probably doing something dodgy and got himself killed."

Harry frowned in response. That was technically possible, but he didn't like it. If he was an upstanding citizen, surely he wouldn't be doing something dodgy now even if he did work for Voldemort back then.

 _Unless he was doing something for Voldemort and someone found out._

Maybe another letter to Sirius would be a good idea. Maybe he had heard something that wouldn't be printed in the papers.

* * *

"That's…an interesting theory Mercury."

"I could be wrong. But I don't think I am."

Mercury had headed back to their Common Room, where the adults had remained. The picture he had seen was black and white while also leaving out a lot of detail. That was to be expected seeing as kids could see this and, despite the problems he had seen, there must be some sort of censor on publications.

Dark Magic may be responsible.

Maiden power was another possibility.

"The obvious question is why." Ozpin wasn't agreeing. He wasn't disagreeing. "Why would Cinder have been brought to this world also? If she was responsible, why kill Mr Nott?"

Mercury scoffed. "If he's anything like the purebloods in this school, we have a good guess." Why had any of them been chosen to be dragged here?

Qrow chuckled. "She didn't strike me as the petty type."

"Not petty. Merely an act of self-preservation. She isn't going to react to insults or even threats. Spells are another matter entirely and these guys are worryingly trigger happy. One spell aimed at Cinder equals one barbecued Nott. Even if she doesn't know what their magic is, it's easy to read their body language on their intent. They're stupid and confrontational when they don't get their way. Or when they think they have been insulted."

Qrow shrugged. "Kids had to learn it from somewhere."

For the first time, Amber spoke. "It is a very far-fetched theory."

She did have a point. Mercury was quite sure though. He waited a few seconds before answering, thinking on his main reasoning. In honesty, he didn't like it because it meant they would have to cooperate with Cinder, if it was indeed her.

"When Ren was Ancient Runes, one thing he commented on was that 13 is a powerful number. Even for us, it's considered unlucky. Yang and Ruby agreed, though I don't agree with Divination. We were brought here for a reason. It just seems strange that eleven would show up at a school and only one would show up in their government building. They think it was whatever this Dark Magic is because they know the fire wasn't natural. Maiden fire isn't either."

Amber nodded her agreement on that at least.

Mercury had felt flames throughout his entire life. During that battle though, there had definitely been something different when Amber used her Maiden power and not red Dust. He had only caught the edge of it but those wounds had taken even longer to heal than his broken ribs. They shouldn't have done.

"A valid point," Ozpin agreed. "The problem remains: it is only a theory. We don't know. It is possible and I agree, it is even likely. But that's all it is."

Mercury had to admit that. The problem was that they had no idea what their Dark Magic was. It could be responsible and he was just seeing things that weren't there. He was very sure he wasn't, but how did he check?

 _Hang on._

"Tippy?"

Tippy appeared instantly. "How can I help you, sirs?"

There was a very good chance this was going to lead nowhere, but he would be very annoyed if he didn't ask. "How do house elves know where their master is?"

"House elf is bonded to their master and can sense their magic. They merely follow."

"Could that method be used to find someone?"

Tippy tilted his head. "Possible. Wizard magic is wizard magic but signature is unique. Often, family has similar magical signal and so can be found even if house elf has never met them before. They would need to meet stranger first or have something with their magic to gain the signature. It would take time."

Sounded like looking for a needle in a haystack approach.

"Could it be used to find one of us?" Goodwitch asked, catching on. "Our aura is not wizard magic."

Tippy nodded. "Your aura is energy we can sense. It is possible, but not by Hogwarts house elf."

Mercury groaned. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He wasn't surprised to find it rather one-sided. "Thanks Tippy. Are there any house elves, other than Dobby, that are technically free?" The only one Dobby would happily bond to was the 'Great Harry Potter'.

"Just Winky sir. She works at Hogwarts but is not bonded. She is used to a family."

Winky. From the one time Mercury had seen her, she was beyond miserable and had picked up a very human habit of drowning her sorrows. This would make her happy and give her a sense of purpose, so Ruby would approve. By having a butler, Emerald wouldn't have to put up with the Great Hall if she didn't want to. They could even eat in the Room of Requirement while it mimicked their home in Patch.

"Could you bring her here please Tippy?"

Tippy looked at him for a long moment. Then nodded. "Certainly sir." He popped away.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You're going to bond with her, huh?"

Mercury shrugged. "There are many advantages."

Ozpin's face remained blank. "Is that all?"

He knew full well what he was really asking. "Wait until you see her. She's worse than Qrow." While he didn't care for the elf's health, Ruby wouldn't be happy if she found out he had bonded to one of the house elves that were happy while ignoring the one that obviously needed help.

"I take offence to that Silvertongue." The tone made it clear Qrow said it in jest.

"Surprising as it is, you can function…"

There was a pop and the elf appeared. Her ears were drooping, her eyes were glazed and she almost swayed on the spot.

"She can't," Mercury finished.

Knowing the potential these creatures had, it was very frustrating to see one like this.

"Sirs call Winky," the elf slurred.

Mercury kept his voice flat. "I have a proposition for you Winky. Are you interested in becoming my house elf?"

That perked her up. "Sir wants Winky as his house elf?"

On second thought… "Mine and probably Ruby's and Emerald's too." Just to make sure Ruby didn't get upset with him.

Winky nodded enthusiastically. "Yes sir."

That 'sir' was going to get on his nerves real fast, but that was for later. "Fair warning Winky, this is temporary. I'm not taking you back to Remnant with me." Even if he could, it was almost certainly a bad idea.

Winky nodded at that too, not seemingly bothered. "Winky knows sir. That not possible."

"Another thing is that you are to tell me if you are feeling sick or afraid or something like that. Also, if there are problems with a task I give you, you tell me rather than push through and doing yourself harm." Mercury was not getting in trouble with his Gems because the stupid elf was stubborn.

Winky didn't look happy with that. "Winky won't disappoint sir."

 _Stubborn may be an understatement._

"That I don't doubt. Under certain circumstances, you may have to do it anyway or I'll find a different way for you to do it. Harming yourself is not going to make me happy." And was going to put him in the doghouse. He did not enjoy sleeping alone.

She nodded at that, more cheerful.

"What you do in your spare time, I don't particularly care. Just be careful what you say to other people. We have a lot of secrets." Putting it very mildly.

Winky nodded again, almost proud. "Winky can keep secrets sir. Winky will mostly be in the kitchens. Few come into the kitchens and they don't ask."

Mercury shrugged. "As long as it makes you happy." Quite frankly, he didn't care if she wanted to go ten pin bowling when she wasn't working for them.

That was an interesting mental image.

"Winky will not disappoint sir."

Mercury chose not to comment on that. "So how is this done?"

"Sir needs to accept Winky's magic. Not difficult, but may be odd."

"Go ahead." They had learned that the bond wasn't parasitic in nature. Most never noticed it was there and when the elf was bonded to families, it was undetectable by those wizards involved.

Mercury felt something brush against his aura. It was an odd feeling, almost like water, but it wasn't painful or disturbing. It was just there. Right now, he was blocking it out. To complete the connection properly, he needed to temporarily lower his aura shield.

"That's your magic?" He wanted to be sure.

"Yes sir."

With quite a bit of uncertainty, Mercury lowered his aura shield. To his surprise, it merely felt as if the 'water' graced over his body and then left again. A scan of his aura found nothing awry.

"That's it?" He had been expecting something. He couldn't even sense anything save the Animin bond that connected him to his Gems.

"That's it Master." Winky already looked better. That glaze in her eyes had dimmed greatly.

 _That's not happening._

"Okay, first thing's first. Don't call me 'Master'." He would rather put up with 'sir'.

"Yes Sir."

He probably wouldn't get anything better. "Your first job is to get yourself sorted out."

"Winky apologises. She will do better and await your call."

"Good. Off you go." Winky vanished with a pop. Mercury then turned to the adults. "My verdict?" Best to get it over with now.

"You handled that well." Ozpin took that calmly. "You will treat her well?"

"Ruby won't be happy if I don't and she's creative with making her displeasure known. Not to mention angering an illusionist is a very stupid idea."

Qrow laughed.

Goodwitch turned her attention to him from the spot Winky had just left. "Be careful Mercury. Having house elves is most likely one step that made the magicals so complacent. Do not pick up their bad habits."

To be honest, that hadn't even occurred to him. "I'll keep that in mind." He was very sure it was the mentality that was the main problem. Wizards saw house elves as creatures to cook and clean for them, little more. Mercury had wanted one to help with whatever objective they were stuck here for. It was a good point though.

Amber also had something to add. "Hermione's not going to be happy with you. She thinks that house elves should be free."

"Even if that causes their deaths?"

"I don't think she believes that. If she finds out, she is going to make her displeasure known."

Mercury rolled his eyes. So Hermione would want to argue with him. Let her. He was aware that was a warning not to do something drastic, but Hermione wasn't dangerous. She wouldn't attack him anyway. "Verbal argument only," he reassured. Qrow was going to have him sitting in Divination as well otherwise.

When Qrow meant History of Magic, he had meant every class he could take without it clashing with the other subjects he had wanted. First Year all the way to Seventh Year. No matter how remarkably frustrating that was, Mercury couldn't complain. He knew he had gotten off lightly and only because they knew it was better to be scarred by Mercury than accidentally killed by Yang. The curfew wasn't much of a hassle, but the amount of hours he had to put in for those essays was nothing short of annoying. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to find so many backwards laws and that was after only a few hours searching.

That being said, he had found other interesting things. He had even found some that were used in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the exceptions that were made for it.

He would call on Winky later, after class. In his opinion 'bond' was the wrong word to use concerning house elves. It was nowhere near that strong. 'Connection' would be better, though it wasn't even that, and that suited him just fine.

Time to return to his Gems.

* * *

Harry liked Hagrid. He was a good friend that had the unfortunate problem that he had a very dangerous taste in pets.

So when he saw Mercury right next to the cages where the latest 'misunderstood creatures' were kept, he had to give him a warning. Ignoring Ruby and Emerald, who were by the other crates, he headed straight over.

"Mercury, don't get too close." At least he hadn't been stupid enough to stick his arm in.

Mercury looked up. "What are these?"

"Blast-Ended Skrewts and very dangerous."

"Dangerous huh?" His gaze went back down, clearly curious. "How so?"

"They can burn you, sting you or bite you." Harry took another look. "That's all that's known about them, but I bet they grow pretty big." Was it just him or were there fewer in there than there had been?

"So bad pets but good guard dogs. Gotcha." He moved away from them towards the girls.

Mercury may have a point. Harry would rather fight two Fluffys than one of those fully grown things.

"And these?" Ruby asked, pointing at the crates. "They're adorable."

Harry took a look. "I honestly have no idea." Looked like a cross between a mole and a platypus. Not Hagrid's usual kind of animal. There was probably some destructive quirk to it.

"You are not keeping one Ruby," Mercury stated. Ruby pouted. "Zwei won't be happy." The pout vanished.

"I'll let you keep one of those Skrewts."

 _He wants one of those monsters?_

"And Zwei would probably kill it. Or your Dad would."

 _Who is Zwei?_

Harry frowned. "Wouldn't it burn the house down?" Did Mercury and Ruby live together? If so, how long ago was Mercury adopted or did this Uncle Qrow live elsewhere? That didn't seem right.

"Yang hasn't managed it yet. In fact, that house should have been destroyed a while back."

"Quite a few times," Emerald agreed. "Though when Ruby somehow managed to make a firework out of nothing other than an old box and a few wires was probably the closest."

Ruby sighed. "You know that wasn't what I was trying to do."

Mercury chuckled. "Ruby, _you_ had no idea what you were trying to do."

Did all four members of Team Remedy live together? One heck of a coincidence. And two of the girls were dating the boy, though none were blood related. Harry chose not to think any more on it.

Hagrid put an appearance in then and was excited that all eight Remnant students were interested. He was giving the three present a quick talk on the Skrewts, along with some of the magical creatures that lived in the Forbidden Forest. The others hadn't arrived early.

"Hey Harry!" Ron caught up. "Did you send you letter to S-"

Harry interrupted him. There were others arriving as well as the trio just a few feet away. "Not yet. He sent me a letter today after he read the news."

Sirius agreed and disagreed with Harry. While Sirius believed it was Voldemort related, he didn't think he was responsible. Mr Nott had apparently been one of the purebloods that had claimed that they were under the Imperius Curse, although there had never been a trial or anything to prove it. While there had been some that were, Mr Nott had been one of the ones that Sirius knew was lying. It could have been someone from his numerous victims' families that was responsible and that would partially explain the Dark Magic, if there was any. Sirius seemed unsure about that.

Whatever was the case, Sirius agreed that there was danger ahead. Whoever was responsible must have been very powerful.

Harry turned to greet Hermione and was pleased that no one seemed to notice anything. From Hogwarts anyway. Mercury looked in his direction and raised an eyebrow. Harry chose to ignore him, pretending he didn't see it. He had forgotten that he had very good hearing.

It was a shame Harry couldn't concentrate on class completely. Hagrid had really outdone himself and he meant that in a good way. The creatures were called nifflers and were obsessed with gold, silver and platinum. He had buried leprechaun gold in the ground and had given the winner (Ron) a bar of Honeyduke's chocolate as a reward.

It had been a fantastic lesson and Harry was tempted to get one for Aunt Petunia. He would just neglect to mention the bit where they apparently tore homes apart.

The problem was that Mr Nott's murder was still heavy on his mind. Sirius' words had not been much of a comfort as they should. Apparently events like that were rare even during the war and was almost unheard of in peace time.

Quite a few students were the same. Whispers about the article could be heard throughout the castle halls. Accidental deaths weren't common, but they were shrugged off. This was a murder and a very disturbing one. Was someone trying to send a message?

Was this an isolated incident or would it happen again?

Given his experiences in Hogwarts, Harry thought that this peace time was coming to an end.

* * *

With the exception of Care of Magical Creatures, the girls hadn't had any classes that day. As Mercury had had to sit through three hours straight of Binns (Emerald felt very sorry for him), they had taken Ren and Nora on in Conquering Remnant in the Room of Requirement. Blake was in the library while Zephyr was exploring the castle. He loved finding shortcuts and secret rooms, but the Room of Requirement remained Emerald's favourite.

By the time Mercury showed up, Emerald and Ren had been knocked out. Both had moved their chairs around to look at someone's hand, but neither intervened. If Emerald guessed Ruby's strategy right, she would win against almost anyone. Except maybe Nora who was the most insane player ever.

A chair appeared out of nowhere. Emerald and Ruby slid theirs along a little so Mercury could sit in-between them. His arms looped around their waists. Ruby smiled. Emerald leaned against him. That was always more comfortable than it should be.

[Bad luck, bad strategy or Nora?] Mercury asked as he studied the board.

[Nora.] Who attacked their own people to trigger a card to wipe out a group on the opposite side of the map only to expose a fault in that area? Emerald had made the mistake in thinking she had a contingency plan for that.

Ren and Nora probably didn't know about aura reading. It was normally not introduced until Beacon's final year, but certain circumstances (that Emerald fought to keep out of her head) meant that the four members of RMEY had learned about it much earlier, before they even got into Beacon.

All of them could show pictures from their memories if they wished. Mercury alone could show them his actual memories like a first person film. Probably something to do with him being an Aura Wielder. He sensed her mood instantly and so was replaying a melody through his aura. The melody she had hummed to him in the five times he had had a nightmare, but it seemed like he was the one humming it.

It was soothing.

Emerald didn't know how much time had passed. All she knew was that, when she became fully aware of her surroundings again, Ruby had won and the other two were leaving. They wanted to find the rest of their team and they only had an hour before dinner.

While Emerald didn't really want to head to the Great Hall, this was when that Goblet of Fire was picking champions for a tournament. No one would be interested in them. Even so, she didn't want to go. She wasn't even hungry, despite not eating since breakfast.

The Room changed from Beacon library to their living room.

Ruby snuggled more into Mercury's side. "How was History of Magic?"

"Dull. Got a bit of reading done though for that stupid essay. I'm not planning to go back to the library tonight." Good. He was staying with them. "There is something else though."

"Hmm? What happened? Is this about this morning?"

Mercury hadn't said why he left that morning. He just said he was heading back early and not to worry. Something about that article bothered him, but Emerald didn't know what. He would tell them eventually.

"…Sort of. Do you remember Winky?"

"The elf?" Ruby asked.

"The elf. I hired her."

Emerald ran that through her mind, but it was only when Ruby spoke did it click.

"Do you mean…like, bonded?"

"That's not the word I would use. I can't sense a connection or anything like that, but she works for me now. It made quite a difference actually."

"What do you mean?"

"See for yourself. Winky."

When the elf popped in, Emerald immediately saw what Mercury meant. Winky looked much better; both healthier and happier. Her ears were up and her eyes were no longer glazed.

"Sir calls Winky?"

"I did."

"Hi Winky," Ruby chirped. Like Emerald, she could see the difference. "So you're bonded to Mercury now?"

"Sir Merkey is Master, but not bonded like wizards. More of a beacon than a bond. While compatible, bond cannot be formed."

Ruby frowned. "But you'll be okay?"

"Sir's power is compatible. Winky is fine."

So Mercury wasn't bonded the same way wizards did, but Winky still served him? His energy was enough to keep the elf alive? "So what is it like?" Weiss came into Emerald's mind then. "Is it like a butler that has served a few generations of a family?"

Winky nodded. "Exactly. Winky's loyalty to M-Sir. Is a bond without the bond. Winky not a free elf."

That did and didn't make sense. Emerald didn't want to think on it. She could see why Mercury would want an elf, but didn't understand what was different about this morning that made him go through with the act. They had met Winky their second day here.

"So you're happy Winky?" Ruby asked.

"Winky very happy."

"Winky, would you answer the girls' calls or do they need to not-bond bond with you?" Mercury asked.

Emerald had never considered having a house elf. Had Mercury had them in mind while doing it?

 _Probably._

The elf considered. "Winky will answer when they call, but easier to find if not-bonded bonded."

Mercury nodded. There was the question that remained. Emerald considered the amount of times they had called for Tippy and made her decision. Tippy did have other responsibilities after all and could be called by the others as well. Winky wouldn't answer to them if she worked for the trio.

"What would you prefer?" Ruby asked. There was a slight frown on her features, but it wasn't heavy. She seemed to have come to the same conclusion Emerald had. On top of that, Winky looked a lot better now than when she was wasting away before.

"Winky would prefer to be not-bonded but bonded. Easier that way."

Ruby was quiet for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Okay Winky. How do we do it?"

Mercury hummed. "That may be a problem. I needed to lower my aura shield and you two can't do that yet."

He must have known this since that morning, which meant one thing. "So what's your solution?"

"Winky, what you see and hear is something you can't tell anyone. We don't want our abilities known."

"Winky understands Sir."

Mercury's winged fox appeared by the fireplace. All of his aura went into it. The fox shook its head and stretched its limbs.

"Odd," Mercury muttered. "I'm not doing that."

An Aura Wielder could create aura animals; manually controlled animals made up of his pure aura. Mercury's known ones were a winged fox, a kitten and a dragon like creature (along with a quetzalcoatl and an eagle that needed to be possessed by Emerald or Ruby respectively before they did anything). The kitten couldn't be possessed and had to be moved by thought. The fox had never moved around on its own though. Mercury had always controlled it with his thoughts or possessed it. Unlike-

"You didn't control the dragon though," Ruby pointed out. "That moved on its own both times."

Mercury had originally created it in Mountain Glenn when he had been in a very poor state of mind. He showed Emerald later in the dorm. That had moved around without his input then too, though Ruby had commented it was much smaller. By the sound of it, the one in Mountain Glenn wouldn't have fit in their dorm room.

Now, Mercury shrugged. "I'll think on it later. It's done its job for now."

Emerald could see what he had in mind. Aura transfer: another technique not taught until Beacon's last year and could go horribly wrong to the inexperienced. The three of them weren't inexperienced and were used to the process. To temporarily get rid of his aura, he put all of it into an aura animal.

After she transferred her aura to him, Emerald nodded at Winky. "Go ahead."

 _That…is an odd feeling._

It passed in a second.

"Winky is your elf also Miss."

 _That was easy._

Immediately, Mercury transferred her aura back to her. She didn't feel any different and Mercury hadn't noticed anything odd. It was nothing to worry about.

Ruby didn't say anything at first. Emerald knew when Ruby transferred her aura to Mercury as she had been trying to read his aura and that was only successful when he had some to read. Ruby shivered, but tilted her head.

"Thank you Miss," Winky stated.

Ruby nodded. "It's okay. Has Mercury given you any rules or jobs yet?"

"Winky was to sort herself out. Winky is not to tell the secrets of the family." The word 'family' made Emerald blink for a moment while Ruby smiled softly. "Winky is to report whether or not she does not wish to do a job or is afraid of something. Winky may be asked to do it anyway or a different way. Winky can do whatever she wants in her free time."

Emerald smiled. [You really didn't want Ruby angry at you, did you?]

[Nope. I'm hiring a worker, not getting a slave, though it is very close when it comes to these guys. I don't want either of you angry at me.]

Emerald nuzzled him, much to his amusement. She wasn't angry with him over this and she didn't think Ruby would be either. If it was an elf that was already happy, then she probably would be. But an elf that was drinking itself to death? Almost certainly not.

Ruby looked at him. She looked…content. She turned back to Winky. "One final rule Winky: take care of yourself. That includes when you're doing a job."

"Winky understands Miss."

"Good." There was a moment of quiet before she continued. "Thank you Winky. We'll call on you later."

Winky bowed and popped away.

With a sigh, Ruby leaned back and curled up a little. Somehow, she remained in Mercury's embrace. "Are you sure this is a good thing?"

Mercury glanced at Emerald, the spot that Winky just left and then at Ruby. "The alternative was to drink herself to death."

"Yeah, I know." She wasn't exactly happy or unhappy.

The winged fox (which Emerald had honestly forgotten about) jumped onto the top of the sofa and nudged Ruby slightly with its snout. She raised her hand to rest it on its head.

"Did you do that?"

"Nope." Mercury studied it. "I don't know why it's doing that."

Emerald wasn't worried about it attacking them. It was interesting that it was moving without being directed. She watched as it hopped on the floor when Ruby smiled at it and walked over to the door. It lowered itself down when it got close until it was lying down. The occasional twitch of the tail or flutter of wings became the only movement.

Almost hypnotising.

Her breathing deepened as her mind drifted. She let it. They were in a replica of their home. When they were last there, Ruby and Yang were sharing a room upstairs while she and Mercury shared one on the ground floor. They hadn't been back there since they started Beacon, though Taiyang was staying in Vale since…

Since…

White vision. Her torso was stinging.

'One Gem shattered

One Gem to crack and dust'

There was thrumming in her ears. Then the voice.

 **"I had hoped to have more time with you, but we're on a tight schedule. Don't worry, it won't hu-"**

Emerald blinked as she was held closer. Mercury had moved his arm up to wrap around her completely. She was carefully lowered until she was lying along the sofa, her head in his lap. His fingers ran through her hair in a now familiar and very soothing way while Ruby's fingers caressed her cheek.

Her breathing and heart calmed slowly. The stinging faded.

For a while, no words were said. Gentle and loving touches.

"Are you up for dinner with everyone or do you want to stay here?" Ruby asked softly.

Emerald's tongue felt heavy, but she got the word out. "Stay." She couldn't handle a group now. She didn't want to try.

"Sure," Merc murmured. "Relax. You're safe with us."

One of the few good things about finding themselves in a strange world: Ginger and Pepper weren't here.

Emerald didn't realise she had slipped into a doze until she heard a knock on the door. That jolted her up, but not strongly. Ruby had configured the Room and so the only people who could see the door were Yang or Qrow. It wouldn't appear for anyone else even if they asked for it.

It was Qrow. His expression softened a little when he saw them. Did he guess? "Are you three coming to dinner and the 'Champion selection'?" Qrow didn't think much of a magic cup choosing the participants.

Ruby shook her head. "Not today."

Was that a hint of sadness in Ruby's voice? Emerald did remember that she had been greatly looking forward to it. It was a little harsh and very selfish to deny her that. Emerald was (mostly) calm now.

"Go on Ruby. I'll be fine."

Ruby frowned at her. "No, it's okay. I'll stay."

After reading her aura, Emerald was sure. She reached up and cupped Ruby's hand. Running her fingers along the knuckles, she gently pulled it away from her cheek. "Go enjoy yourself Ruby. I'm fine."

"Emerald…"

Reluctantly, Emerald sat up. "We know how much you've wanted to see it Ruby. Go on."

Ruby was clearly very conflicted. On one hand, she had been waiting to see this tournament ever since they first heard about it. On the other hand, she obviously didn't want to leave Emerald. Their boyfriend had never been interested in the tournament and would have preferred to sit out their 'fancy cup fireworks'. It was only because Ruby wanted to see it that the other two were willing to go.

Ruby herself knew this. Finally, she looked at Mercury. Whatever she saw there made her nod slowly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Enjoy yourself Ruby," Mercury responded. His voice was cheerful.

Qrow ruffled Ruby's hair when she joined him by the door. "I'll bring her back before midnight," he joked. Emerald wasn't sure how Taiyang felt about their relationship, but Qrow didn't seem to mind. Then again, Taiyang had loved two women.

Mercury let out a low sound from the back of his throat. "I think we'll be staying here tonight."

While they had been given permission to sleep in this Room, they had yet to do so. They had used it during the day, but had always returned to that dorm originally provided. Tonight though, Emerald agreed with Mercury.

Ruby wasn't smiling as she left, but she wasn't frowning either. Qrow studied them for a moment before leaving as well.

Mercury turned to her fully. "Are you really okay?"

"I've…been better," she allowed. There was no point lying to him. He knew something was off and he could guess the reason, but he wasn't sure exactly what.

He hummed almost silently. "Winky." The elf popped in. "Could you get us something to eat please?"

With a nod, the elf vanished.

Emerald wasn't particularly hungry. "Mercury-"

"You haven't eaten since this morning Emerald."

She was aware of that. She just sighed. She wasn't going to win that discussion. She knew she should, but she didn't think she could. She could at least try.

It was a pasta that Yang liked. Linguine. Emerald was a little sceptical at first, but one taste found that the sauce was actually very light and thin. The meal wasn't as heavy as she initially thought and she did manage to eat all of it. It wasn't long until she felt full. She still finished after Mercury did, even though he started after her.

After Emerald pushed the dish away from her, it vanished.

The Room changed. Rather than the living room, it became their shared room at home. Instead of two single beds though, it was one double with the bedside cabinets moved to the opposite sides.

Emerald looked at it. "I think I prefer it like that." She gave Mercury a gentle push. "Down you go."

Smirking, Mercury put up no resistance as he fell. He did push himself up a little once he was lying down. "Bed's a bit big. Are you going to join me or not?"

Normally she would tease him before joining him. At the moment, she wasn't in the mood. She fell silent and snuggled up to him. She hadn't had any nightmares yet and she hoped they wouldn't start tonight.

Emerald leaned over and picked up a book that was resting on the bedside cabinet. As the original was sitting in their normal dorm in the castle, a copy was able to appear in the Room. Magicals apparently weren't a fan of fiction. What library didn't have fiction books? As it happened, a lot of muggleborns were happy to hand them over after they finished reading them, provided they gave it back. The book Emerald had borrowed was a murder mystery. Quite a few muggleborns had them.

Luckily for Mercury, Emerald hadn't started it yet. Using him as a pillow, her eyes flickered across the page, making sure he could read it too. His finger traced a circle in her shoulder when he had finished a page, but the two read it at their own pace. Peaceful.

They were only a quarter of the way through the book when Winky popped in.

Mercury blinked, surprised to see her. "Something wrong Winky?"

"Miss Ruby asking Sir to come down. Something odd has happened." Evidently Winky called him 'Sir' while using the girls' names with 'Miss'. To be fair, there were two of them.

"'Odd' as in 'wrong'? What happened?"

"Sir's name selected by Goblet of Fire as fifth name."

 _What._

Emerald looked up at him. "How can your name come out when you never put it in?"

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Evidently the very obvious loophole of having someone else put your name in wasn't covered. Absolute idiots; the lot of them."

"But you're immune to their magic." Even if his name went in, it shouldn't have been able to be selected. "And I thought only three names were picked."

He thought about that for a moment. "I lowered my shield today and yesterday. If my name was already in by then, and it almost certainly was, then maybe that's how it happened." His gaze went back to Winky. "Who was the fourth?"

"Harry Potter."

 _He really has the worst luck._

"Isn't he fourteen?" Emerald asked.

"That's the Age Line, not the Goblet. As for extra names…" Mercury shrugged. "No idea. Probably someone jealous of Harry. They stare and gossip about him like a zoo animal." He looked at Winky. "Tell her I'm not coming down. I'm not competing. They're not worth my time."

Maybe unknowingly, his arm had tightened around Emerald at those last words.

Winky nodded and popped away.

Emerald lifted the book again. She was sure it wasn't that simple, but there wasn't much use worrying about it. Even if Mercury had to compete for some reason, he would ace the Tasks. They were designed for magicals, not aura users.

"I wonder who did it."

"Could be anyone of age. I've certainly annoyed the lot of them. Could have been someone Malfoy paid. Could have been an underage that threw a paper aeroplane. Let them sort it out; it's what they're paid to do."

Emerald scoffed. "We both know they won't. You'll probably still have to compete." She sighed with a sad frown. "If your name came out, then you're probably bound to it somehow."

Mercury nodded, more resigned that angry. "I know. They lose their magic. If I don't compete and they can't get me out, then skipping it may make me- _us_ -lose ours. I don't want to lose it."

The only magic Mercury had was the Animin bond; a connection to the girls. It had nothing to do with them dating, but Mercury would have been killed if they didn't have it. They had had no way of finding him otherwise and he would have been dead if he was found even half an hour later. Emerald would probably be dead too. At Mountain Glenn, if he didn't sense Emerald was in trouble, he may have chosen to double back to Ruby first.

On the other hand, it had been Ginger Emerald was facing-

Emerald shook her head. "You could just ignore it and nothing will happen."

Mercury shrugged. "Or it could kill me. For three 'tasks', it not worth the risk, especially with our luck. If Qrow or Ruby tell me they can't get me out of it, I'll compete. It could even be fun."

"…You're not worried?"

"Nope. The worst that can happen is that they find out I can be immune to their magic." Mercury rubbed her back. "It'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen to me."

That did calm Emerald. Their aura was a very unfair advantage. They returned to her book.

The question remained of who put his name in and why.

* * *

No one was more surprised than Harry when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Hermione had to literally push him forward.

It was unreal. Like a bad dream.

"Cheat!"

Harry couldn't be in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. There were already three Champions. Harry couldn't be another. He had never put his name in.

"He's not even seventeen yet!"

Harry couldn't have put his name in. He didn't want to be in this tournament.

But when he passed the tables, Dumbledore gave him the slip. It was his name. In his handwriting. Harry Potter.

"Cheater!"

Then the Goblet's flame changed colour again. Silence descended.

 _Another name?_

It was. Another slip of paper was ejected. Dumbledore's arm narrowly missed Harry as he caught the slip. From his angle, he couldn't read it. He didn't need to.

"'Mercury Black'."

 _What?_

The whispers started again. There were no yells this time. Everyone spoke in hushed voices.

There were five Champions in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. How was that possible?

 _Mercury's a muggle._

Ironically enough, it was that thought that snapped Harry out of his half numb state. He wasn't going to be the only one out of his depth. But how? How did Harry's name come out? How did Mercury's name come out?

"Mercury Black," Dumbledore called again.

Ruby and Qrow stood up, him resting a hand on her shoulder. "He's not here."

All eyes went to the pair.

Dumbledore blinked. "Not here? Then where is he?"

"Probably where we left him," Qrow responded. Ruby left the Hall. "He's never had any interest in this circus."

"He cheated to get in!" someone yelled out.

Qrow scoffed. "He didn't need to cheat; he is seventeen. And how did he get the deranged cup to spit out his name _fifth_? I can see-"

Professor Ozpin stood up and put a hand up. "Let's not get started Qrow." The man's gaze turned to Dumbledore. "We appear to have five Champions rather than three. Has this ever happened before?"

"It has not," Dumbledore noted. "However, it is irrelevant." Ruby returned and whispered something to Qrow. "He must compete." With that, Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder and led him to a room he had never been in before.

The other Champions were gathered around the fire. They seemed restless, yet determined.

"Professor?" Cedric had turned around and was now staring at Harry. "What's going on?"

"There has been a complication," Dumbledore responded. He steered Harry to the side. Just in time as the door opened to reveal Mr Crouch, Ludo Bagman, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime and Professors McGonagall and Snape. Harry glimpsed Professor Moody behind them.

"Extraordinary!" Bagman gleamed. "Five Champions!"

The three Champions looked very confused at that. Fleur almost seemed insulted. It was Cedric who asked for confirmation.

"Five?"

Dumbledore turned back to Harry and spoke before anyone else could. "Harry, did you enter your name into the Goblet?"

"No sir."

"Did you ask another student to do it for you?"

"No sir." Harry swallowed.

"Of course he is lying," Madame Maxime exclaimed. "How did this happen, Dumbledore?"

"You cannot blame Dumbledore for Potter's behaviour-" To Harry's great relief, Snape was cut off.

"But we can blame him for hiring less than professional teachers that can carry grudges for dead men better than a bird can fly."

Qrow. He had entered with Ruby and Professor Ozpin. No Mercury.

"How dare-?"

"Professor Snape, if you don't have anything intelligent to add other than to point out for the infinite time your obvious loathing of a boy for perceived behaviour that you display every day, I suggest you stay quiet." Professor Ozpin really wasn't happy. "I want to know how Mercury's name came out. As he never entered his name and it somehow came out, I am willing to believe Mr Potter's claim that he was not responsible. What are their options?"

Bagman looked terrified. He visibly squirmed under Professor Ozpin's and Qrow's furious gaze. "Well…err…I'm afraid he has no choice…I mean his name came out-"

"That's all it takes?" Qrow asked, far more serious than Harry had seen him. "What if a Seventh Year entered a First Year? That First Year would have to compete?"

Harry paled. So did Professor McGonagall.

"W-Well-"

Qrow scoffed. "Let no one ever accuse this lot of competence."

"How dare-?"

"I _dare_ because you are claiming that my son has no choice but to compete in a tournament which was stopped because of the high fatality numbers. I dare because _you_ left a _murder weapon_ out where _anyone_ could put an enemy's name in. What if someone unrelated was entered and couldn't be here for the tasks? I _dare_ because it was mostly your idiocy caused this mess. How hard was it to stop someone submitting a name that _wasn't theirs_? Some kids would think this circus is a great joke, or put someone's name in they don't like without understanding they can be _killed_. It was a _very obvious_ possibility. Kids, especially teenagers, will do it. And does your Goblet not know there are only _three_ schools? Last I checked, one add one add one add one add one made five, not three."

Pure fury.

There was a very brief silence before it was broken.

"Exactly," Professor Moody responded, very calmly. "Only a very powerful Confundus Charm could have hoodwinked the Goblet into forgetting there are three schools. Those two were most likely put in a category each, making sure both their names came out. They are probably wanted dead."

Voldemort. Was Voldemort responsible for this? Possibly for Harry but Mercury didn't make sense. Those three didn't seem surprised though. In fact, did Qrow and Professor Ozpin just exchange a look?

"Ingenious theory." Professor Karkaroff scoffed. "This coming from a man who destroyed a clock because he thought it was a basilisk egg. These two thought they were above the rules and entered themselves. It is as simple as that."

"And how does the fact that Mercury cannot perform a Confundus Charm fit into your theory?" Professor Ozpin asked. His tone had not gotten any friendlier.

"The boy is a psychopath-"

"Wrong and even if it wasn't, it's completely irrelevant. It is _not possible_ that Mercury was responsible for his name coming out. That fact casts extreme doubt on Mr Potter entering his own name. From what I have seen of his personality, I would say he didn't."

That meant a lot to Harry. They believed him. A smile made its way onto his face. If they could see that fact, the other students would too.

"It doesn't matter," Mr Crouch spoke up for the first time. "His name came out. He will suffer a severe penalty if he does not compete. All five will. The Age Line wasn't part of the original tournament, only added around the Goblet. The age of the Champions has no bearing on the Goblet's decision."

"Excuse me, but what is the problem with the five Champions playing three rounds of rock/paper/scissors or something similar and then redrawing the names?" Ruby asked. She didn't flinch when everyone looked at her. "If the Goblet chose those three to represent their schools, then it will probably pick them again. Or only put their names in from the beginning."

Harry agreed, hope starting to churn in his chest. The idea had merit. The other Champions actually nodded.

Mr Crouch shook his head. "It's not that simple. Each Task must be different and the Goblet can only be lit once every three years. Without the Goblet, there is no Tri-Wizard Tournament. The three countries are in agreement: it must be held this year."

Politics. Harry hated politics.

Ruby frowned, but Qrow put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he nodded. She sighed and headed over to the corner almost in complete shadows.

Professor Ozpin turned to Dumbledore. "Do you have the slip for Mercury?" It was handed over. "This isn't Mercury's handwriting." When Professor Snape opened his mouth, Professor Ozpin continued. "Would you like us to fetch one of his essays so you can compare it or are we free to move on?"

Glaring, Professor Snape closed his mouth. Then he opened it again. "I can assure you, it is the scrawl that Potter calls handwriting."

Qrow scoffed. "Gee, we're in a boarding school. I wonder where I can find a sample of parchment with Harry Potter's name on in his handwriting, especially with little things called Copying Charms." Then Qrow smirked. "It would seem you could have put his name Snape."

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore corrected.

"When he acts like a professor and not a petty child, I'll consider it."

These guys had become Harry's new heroes. He could see where Mercury got it from. Then again, if they fought dementor-like monsters for a living, they wouldn't be impressed by Snape.

Professor Ozpin considered for a moment. "How does the selection work? Does the Goblet bind to the name on the slip or the magical signature of the one putting it in?"

He was met with blank looks. It was obvious they didn't know. That wasn't encouraging. Harry could choose not to compete and there was the chance it would target the one who put his name in. Considering his luck though, that was a very bad idea. It was almost certainly the name on the parchment.

Ruby returned with an odd expression. She shrugged at Qrow, then gave one nod. He shook his head with an exasperated sigh.

"Survive three 'tasks', huh?" Qrow chuckled. "I'm in agreement with him." Somehow, Ruby had spoken to Mercury and gotten an answer. "What are these tasks?"

Apparently the message had been something along the lines of 'whatever'.

The tension drained out of Bagman. Now he was sure he was out of trouble, he became excited. "The first task is on 24th November, in front of the students and judges. They will be armed only with their wands and will receive information about the second task when the first is over. This is a Task of Courage, so that is all they will be told. The Champions are not allowed to ask or accept any help from their teachers and are exempted from end-of-year exams." He frowned and looked at Dumbledore. "Is that all?"

"Indeed, though there is one thing." Dumbledore turned to Qrow. "Mercury will be permitted his weapons."

Professor Karkaroff wasn't happy with that. "Rules are rules Dumbledore. Wands only."

Qrow scoffed. "We'll decide on the day. It depends on how strictly the others stick to the rules. Wouldn't want to be seen as hypocritical, would we?"

It looked like Qrow expected them to cheat. Cedric looked insulted at that, but most of the others just glared at him. Professor Moody was studying him, almost intrigued. Dumbledore seemed amused.

"If that is all?" Professor Ozpin asked. No one spoke. "Then I bid you goodnight."

"I don't," Ruby muttered under her breath as they left. Harry and the three Champions were probably the only ones that heard her. As she passed, she murmured: "Goodnight Harry. Good luck."

 _Thanks Ruby._

Harry chose to follow. No one stopped him, so he wasn't needed.

The Great Hall was empty. Harry was thankful for that. He needed time and quiet to think.

His name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. Professor Moody was probably right: this was an attempt to kill him. With his dream this summer, Voldemort was almost certainly behind it. Mr Nott died in a gruesome fashion for some unknown reason. Was that a coincidence? Had Mr Nott been doing something for Voldemort, such as something to do with this tournament?

Why had Mercury's name come out? Was he seen as a threat and to be eliminated as well? Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be happy with what happened to his son. Was this his retaliation? Without the variance magic had, Mercury would do well to survive. Voldemort wouldn't be interested in a few odd, home-schooled muggleborns and none had been mentioned by name in that article. He almost certainly wasn't responsible. But did that mean it was unrelated? Sirius thought that Mr Nott's death was related to Voldemort, but he wasn't responsible.

Harry was aware he was in front of the Fat Lady by muscle memory of the route rather than his eyes. His mind was still elsewhere. "Balderdash."

In hindsight, he should have expected a party. He wasn't in the mood for it. The parties after the Quidditch matches were fun and Harry was often one of the reasons for their victory (or their only two defeats). Those celebrations were earned. This was not. After one too many people asking him how he did it, he shoved his way into the dormitory.

Ron was lying on his bed, fully dressed. He was looking up at the ceiling, but he didn't seem to be seeing it.

"Congratulations."

That wasn't what Harry was expecting. He answered the only way he could. "What?"

"You got past the Age Line. No one else did. So how did you do it?"

What was up with Ron? "I didn't."

Ron wasn't listening. "It couldn't have been the Cloak. Both of us could have used that. It couldn't have been an Aging Potion because that doesn't work."

"I. Didn't. Enter. My. Name."

"Still, that portrait Violet…Dumbledore's letting you compete, isn't he? You and your new best mate. A thousand galleons and eternal glory, huh?"

Having just seen Qrow and Professor Ozpin shut up Snape, Harry was in no mood to deal with whatever was wrong with Ron. "Tell you what Ron. I'll ask my 'new best mate' if he can give you a permenant scar on your face too. Your idiocy is matching Malfoy's yesterday; he may agree. And then if you're lucky, Malfoy's dad can go and kill every member of your family. I'm sure a thousand galleons are worth being the Weasley-Who-Lived."

With that, Harry angrily pulled his curtains together. He knew he would regret what he said in the morning, but right now he didn't care. Those strangers hadn't thought Harry put his name in, even if the initial reasoning came from Mercury's name coming out, but even then they thought he wouldn't do it. They had defended Harry against Snape and Madame Maxime and they barely knew him.

Ron knew better.

Harry didn't want to feel betrayed, so he felt angry instead.

* * *

Depressed could describe Ruby's mood. She hadn't been able to get Mercury out of the tournament. She had no doubt he would be fine (and could win), but he didn't want to be in it in the first place. She had failed to get him out of it.

Professor Ozpin had returned to the dorm room to talk to the others. Ruby and Uncle Qrow headed straight for the Room of Requirement.

Would it be a long night? Emerald had been heading for a panic attack that Mercury had managed to prevent, but Ruby knew she wasn't as good as she had claimed. The only reason Ruby had left was so that Emerald wouldn't feel bad in regards to what Ruby had wanted for days. Mercury would have looked after her. But it wasn't the same. Ruby knew she should have stayed.

The Room was different than Ruby expected. She immediately recognised it as home and she wasn't surprised when it clicked what they had done. Maybe this was what their room would look like back at Patch when they returned. Dad wouldn't disapprove. Too much.

Ruby snuggled into Emerald. It was Mercury whose cheek her fingers traced. "I'm sorry Mercury."

"It's fine," he replied with a smile. "We thought they'd be stubborn about it. Stupid idiots."

Ruby remembered Uncle Qrow's furious words. She had felt the same. 'Stubborn', 'stupid' and 'idiotic' were the tamest words they could use. Ruby was willing to bet that quite a few students had put someone else's name in that hadn't been of age, but those had been passed over by the Goblet itself.

Even if Mercury was the only one in that category like Professor Moody thought, then Mercury deserves to be Champion. There had been one record of a Tri-Wizard Tournament in which the Goblet hadn't picked anyone from Durmstrang, with the theory being that none of them were worthy of being selected. The country had been in a civil war at the time, so attitudes and personalities were changing or unsuitable.

That also meant the Goblet thought Harry deserved to be Champion. Ruby could see that. She got the feeling he would be a team leader at Beacon. It bothered her greatly how quickly the school had turned against him. Loads of the younger years had tried to cheat their way into the tournament. Why were they so angry? The second Harry's name came out, Ruby was certain he hadn't put it in. After she saw the look on his face, no doubt would be creeping in about that.

"We tried Silvertongue," Qrow shrugged, sitting on the edge of their bed. "But you can probably imagine how competent they are at being incompetent. There is a chance that whoever put your name is stuck, not you, but they don't know. They have no idea how it works."

Mercury chuckled. "That bad, huh? And they are the ones in charge of unbreakable magical contracts with extreme penalties. Makes sense if they graduated from here."

Ruby sighed, unable to deny it. Malfoy had _boasted_ that connections got jobs, not ability. It should never work like that and the jobs along with the public would suffer. They wouldn't be motivated to learn to be good at those jobs. Emerald wrapped an arm around her, knowing what was bothering her, but she didn't say anything. She didn't need to.

Qrow patted Ruby's head. "I was curious as to how you want to play it."

"It's probably best that I don't win. We have no idea how they would react to that and given their opinions and their positions, we are definitely going to have a problem. I do wonder who put my name in there though. The why would also be nice."

"Ozpin didn't recognise the handwriting, so not one of us. How many people did you tell your surname to?"

"…None actually. Who knows what the others said though? A few students know Ruby's surname and I don't remember Ruby normally saying it when she introduced herself."

"I didn't," Ruby agreed. "Some people struggle to learn first names. No need to confuse things. It's not like it matters here." They come from a different world, after all. There were no blood relations here.

Although, the name 'Black' did seem to interest too many of the students to be coincidence. Was there a Black family in this world?

"It could have been nearly anyone," Qrow agreed. "We're leaning towards an adult. It took a lot of magic to change the school number from three to five. Most likely, you were put in this tournament as an assassination attempt."

Mercury smiled at the choice of words. "It probably won't work, but there are quite a number of suspects if that is the case. What's the First Task?"

"Something that you won't be told about until probably until you're about to do it. It's a…" Uncle Qrow made air quotes here. "'Task of Courage'."

Emerald scoffed. "Task of Stupidity you mean."

"That too," Uncle Qrow agreed. "It's on the 24th November. You're also not allowed any help from your professors, although if they stick to that, I'll eat my flask. Those two head of schools are not in this in the spirit of friendly competition."

"Fun," Mercury responded idly. "Am I allowed my boots?"

"Almost definitely. If they cheat, then they're allowed. If not, I'm sure you'll manage."

"Great."

Mercury didn't sound worried at all. He allowed Ruby to aura read him and he really wasn't. He was cautious as this was something new that he had very little knowledge of, but he wasn't afraid. He seemed to be looking forward to it. He might be right. He had a very unfair advantage.

Harry was the opposite. He was three years too young and didn't have the education the others did or Mercury's technology. He had been in shock when his name was called. He would also have very little support if the reaction from the crowd was anything to go by. Ruby had loathed that reaction, but when she was going to speak up, the stupid cup spat out Mercury's name. At least that did the trick of shutting them up.

Mercury would be more than fine. Maybe they should talk with Harry tomorrow and make sure he was okay.

Despite the excitement of the day, it didn't take Ruby long at all to drop off to sleep. Maybe they should be more worried, but this was Mercury. He would be fine, he could be excellent if he wanted.

* * *

 **AN: It has been noted that the HP side has been taking a backseat. I am aware of this but so far there has been limited influence from the RWBY side and the first few days would be focused on how they respond to that world. Until this chapter, there hasn't been any major differences to HP canon that I hadn't showed and I didn't want to put in those scenes. This will change as their influence spreads.**

 **One thing that bothered me about the fourth book was the number of loopholes in both the champion selection and the ways Harry could have been taken out of the tournament if they really wanted. That did make this chapter more fun to write.**

 **When Cinder dumps Mercury after he was kidnapped, the bond told them the direction he was in and he was found in time. At Mountain Glenn, it was Ginger that Emerald fought on the train and was scarred by. The bond told Mercury that Emerald was in trouble, though not any details on how or why.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading. Any questions, let me know.**


	5. Make and Break Friendships

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

Harry knew he was going to regret his words to Ron last night. He knew he would regret them a lot. But he still wasn't prepared for how much. He had been way out of line.

Ron was already gone by the time Harry plucked up the courage to apologise. A glance at the Marauder's Map showed he was on the third floor. He had no idea why Ron would go there until he realised Ron was just moving along the corridors, maybe randomly.

Harry swallowed and got up. Today was going to be a nightmare.

There were a few younger years in the Common Room. Again denying that he put his name in the Goblet when they asked, he passed by them and headed out. He knew that breakfast wasn't going to be any better, but he needed to eat something.

He wasn't expecting Hermione to be waiting for him outside the portrait hole with pumpkin juice and a piece of toast.

"Thanks." Harry was very grateful. He didn't fancy the Great Hall this morning.

"Should we go for a walk?" Hermione suggested.

Harry agreed and he checked the Marauder's Map quickly to make sure they wouldn't run into anyone they didn't want to. Once the route to outside was picked, they began to walk. They had only reached the Grand Staircase when Harry began to tell her about the night before.

She interrupted. "I spoke to Ruby and the other two this morning. They told me everything. Obviously I didn't need them to tell me you hadn't put your name in but at least they believe you. They would have believed you even if Mercury's name hadn't come out; they know you wouldn't-"

"Ron doesn't," Harry cut in. The guilt faded a little as some of his anger returned. "He thinks I did it."

Hermione averted her gaze. "Well…I don't think he does Harry…It's just that…Well…You're always the centre of attention and he's got all these siblings-"

"He's _jealous_?!" Any remaining guilt for his words last night vanished. "Someone put my name in the Goblet, probably to kill me, and he's _jealous_?"

"Don't say that Harry," Hermione mumbled. "You'll be okay. And it's not…He sees only the money and the eternal glory. Not the danger. He'll come around. Maybe if you talk-"

"No. I am not going to go chasing _him_ around to tell him something he should already know _again_. He won't listen to anything I say. He didn't last night and I'm not going after him now." Not wanting to talk about Ron, Harry switched topics. "Has the Daily Prophet arrived yet? Would Snuffles know?"

Hermione didn't look happy he changed the subject, but she didn't press the issue. "Yeah, it's already arrived. They made a big mention of all the Champions, including you."

"Great," he groaned.

"Write to Snuffles regardless Harry. He would want to hear it from you."

Sirius would believe him. Harry had no doubt of that.

But then he had had no doubt that Ron would believe him either and look how that turned out.

"Okay fine."

"Then Ruby wants to meet you at some point today. Our last lesson is Potions and they've got one more after that. I said we would meet them on the seventh floor afterwards."

Harry frowned. "Why? What do they want?"

"They said they had something to show us, though it was a secret. Something that will help you survive the tournament."

"Any help's welcome." Harry wasn't optimistic about his chances. He needed to study and train. Out of curiosity… "What did the Prophet say about Mercury?"

Hermione smiled a bit. "It was quite interesting actually. They commented that he was originally thought to be a muggleborn, but that it was possible he was descended from a squib line of the Black family instead. That is also the reason his magic was odd. If you don't know what we know, it's a very good and even possible theory."

Now Harry thought about it, Mercury did have almost similar grey eyes to Sirius, but even then Mercury's were a few shades darker. If he didn't know they came from a different world, Harry would have no problems believing that.

Hermione came with Harry to the Owlery, but allowed him to write his letter without hovering over his shoulder. It did take him a while to decide what to write.

'Hi Snuffles,

I don't know if you heard, but my name came out of the Goblet of Fire as a fourth champion, along with Mercury's being fifth. I swear, I didn't put my name in. I don't want to compete but I've been convinced I have to.

Stay safe and say hello to our feathered friend,

Harry'

It had taken a while to decide not to include Ron's behaviour last night. There was no need to worry Sirius. It did seem a bit like a pointless letter and quite short, but he couldn't think of anything else he wanted to add.

Hedwig nipped his fingers affectionately before taking flight.

It was very clear on his way to Transfiguration how the student body felt about his entry. The glares and whispers followed him and they weren't just from Hogwarts. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons also didn't seem happy with him. Where they had been openly curious before, now they made an effort to ignore him. At least they didn't taunt.

Professor McGonagall was the same as ever. Professor Sprout was much frostier to him in Herbology. It was only then he remembered she was Head of Hufflepuff. More worryingly, Snape was sneering at him with a glint in his eye, but was more tolerable than Harry expected. Something was up.

The pair headed up to the seventh floor at half four. They were supposed to meet the trio at five in this corridor, so they just hung around. For some reason, they didn't appear on the Marauder's Map and they spent a good ten minutes scanning the castle.

"How do you vanish from the map?" Harry asked.

Hermione frowned. "Maybe they're not in Hogwarts anymore."

Harry should have asked Sirius more about how the map worked. "Maybe they found the passages that lead out of the castle." Fred and George had boasted they had found one about a fortnight into their first year. Nora was very good friends with Fred and George with Ren acting as a voice of reason or maybe a babysitter.

Harry had no idea how that friendship worked. Ren and Nora were complete opposites.

Ron was now in the Gryffindor Common Room with Dean and Seamus. Oddly enough, despite being in the same year, Harry didn't know them that well. As far as he was aware, Ron didn't either.

"I was wondering how much to tell them when we tell them about Voldemort," Harry commented. "Ruby did ask yesterday."

"You mean about what happened at Hogwarts?" Harry nodded. Hermione bit her lip. "I…don't know. Maybe…I don't know."

"If Voldemort was responsible for putting my name in the Goblet, he might be responsible for Mercury's too."

"That doesn't make sense."

"I know. But he's involved now and they are here for a reason. Maybe they are here to help with Voldemort."

"You-Know-Who has been defeated once before. I don't think we'll need their help for it if he comes back."

"But no one but Dumbledore really knows how it happened." And he had never given Harry a full answer to that question or how Voldemort survived that night.

Hermione looked at her watch. "Five o'clock. Their lesson should be ending now."

Come to think of it, Harry had no idea what lessons they had kept from their curriculum. He had never asked.

A few minutes later, Ruby showed up. "Hey you two. Sorry I'm late. How are you holding up Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ruby, interestingly enough, did the same. Hermione noticed this. "Which one?"

"Both of them, though Mercury's definitely far worse."

 _What are they talking about?_

"How's he taken to being picked as Champion?"

Ruby shrugged. "He couldn't really care less. He's just annoyed because it was very avoidable."

"He's not worried?" Harry asked. Did Mercury know enough about the Tri-Wizard Tournament to be worried? Then again, his father had known a lot last night, including why it was stopped.

"Not really. He's actually really powerful, even by our standards." Ruby looked behind her and gestured to them. "Come on." She led them back the way she came, waving to Blake and Yang who was heading downstairs. They waved back.

"So the others aren't angry they're not in the tournament?" Harry pressed.

"No and not at Mercury either. Everyone knows he didn't put his name in and didn't want to be a part of it."

Hermione spoke up hesitantly. "I'm afraid the other schools disagree."

Ruby stopped there. "Why? He couldn't have done it even if he wanted to. Surely they understand that?"

Harry scoffed. "You would be amazed. They believe whatever they want to believe, no matter how ridiculous."

"…Mercury won't care." It was obvious that Ruby did. "He's the kind to only care about what a select few say." She turned the corner.

Professor Ozpin was standing by a tapestry. On the opposite wall was a closed door.

"How are you doing Mr Potter?" Professor Ozpin asked.

"Fine." That was always Harry's response to that question. It was just odd that he had been asked that more times today than any other day in his life and that included when he fell off his broom after being attacked by dementors. Only one had been from someone he knew.

Professor Ozpin nodded and gestured to the door opposite. "This is the room we have been using for Combat Class. It does not form until you pace past this tapestry three times while thinking on what you need. The Room of Requirement will provide. At the moment, Mercury asked for a magical obstacle course. The Room delivered."

That sounded like a remarkably useful room. Intrigued, Harry opened the door and stepped inside, with Hermione following. The door shut behind Ruby and Professor Ozpin.

Qrow and Emerald were very close by. Mercury wasn't, but the room was huge. There was something else bothering Harry though. There was water in front with a very deep black shadow to the side. There was an identical shadow at the very far end of the room, where he could barely see.

Hermione stared at the body of water nearby. "Why does this look familiar?"

Then it clicked for Harry. "It's Professor Lupin's obstacle course. Remember? The end of the year test." Harry had aced that. Maybe he had a better chance to survive this tournament than he originally thought.

"Professor Lupin?" Professor Ozpin inquired.

"He was our DADA professor last year." In Harry's opinion, he had been their best DADA professor. That wasn't saying much seeing as the one before was a fraud and the one before that had Voldemort on the back of his head.

Hermione began counting on her hand. "Grindylow, Red Caps, Hinkypunk and Boggart."

Ruby had passed by them to stand next to Emerald, but her gaze went to them after Hermione finished. "What's a Boggart?"

"A shapeshifter that becomes what the person fears most. It is defeated by laughter. This is made easier by using the word ' _Riddikulus_ ' while thinking of an amusing thing to force it into the shape of that thing."

Harry wouldn't want to fight a Boggart without knowing how to defeat it or even knowing it existed. "What does Mercury fear most?" Mercury must be close to it.

Qrow raised an eyebrow then turned back to the water. "That may be a problem."

The minutes ticked by and Harry began to grow worried. He remembered his anti-dementor lessons and the Boggart-dementor hadn't been much of a step down from a real one. Whatever Mercury saw would feel real to him.

Three minutes waiting.

Then Mercury stepped out of the shadows to the side. He looked perfectly fine, if a little annoyed. "Okay, it was going well until that last thing."

"A Boggart," Harry responded. "Takes the shape of your worst fear."

"Huh. That would explain it."

Hermione hesitated before asking. "Did you defeat it?"

"Oh yeah. Probably not the way I was supposed to though. The others were simple enough, but I got the feeling I cheated with that one."

"You kill it with laughter after turning it into something funny," Harry elaborated.

"I definitely cheated." He looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "How's the school been treating you?"

Harry shrugged. "Not well."

"Pointing, whispering, glaring, snarky comments under their breath?"

"Pretty much." Though they had been said loudly where Harry could hear, not under their breath. Apparently they were too afraid of Mercury to risk antagonising him.

Emerald scoffed. "Absolute idiots; the lot of them. I bet once they realise how dangerous the tournament is, they'll change their tune."

Mercury eyes flickered behind Harry. "Where's the other one? Ron?"

Harry scowled. "I don't care." He gestured to the obstacle course. "So this Room can become anything?"

"Yep. I configured the Room, so it responds to me at the moment." A book appeared in his hand. "You can't take anything out of this Room and it doesn't provide food. It can give you sparing partners or…" he gestured behind him, "Red Caps and the others. I'm assuming they weren't exactly real, but they act as if they were and are as tough as their real counterparts."

"As far as we are aware," Professor Ozpin began, "very few others at most know of this Room. I do not believe even the Headmaster knows of it. We use it between 4 and 5 every day, but the other times are rather random. That's why it may not appear if you try at later time."

 _If the Headmaster doesn't know of it, how did you learn of it?_

Emerald shook her head. "One of the few places guaranteed peace around here. We thought you might have good use for it."

Ruby nodded. "Especially with how your school is reacting. We don't really want many people to know about it for that reason."

 _I love magic._

"Thanks." Harry really was grateful. They had showed him somewhere he could train and rest. "I won't tell anyone about it either."

Professor Ozpin nodded. "We cannot help you with the magic side of things, save perhaps as a soundboard. However, we will help you anyway we can."

"…But I thought we weren't allowed help from our teachers."

Qrow shrugged. "We're not _your_ teachers. And if it wasn't for this tournament, I would be suspicious of the number of times Cedric can visit his Head of House in one day."

Hermione sputtered. Harry just stared.

Mercury laughed. Ruby winced and hugged into Emerald, who had rolled her eyes.

Professor Ozpin just sighed.

* * *

The next few days were partly interesting, but mostly annoying. The one high point had been when Mercury had flat out walked out of Herbology within two minutes when it was obvious Professor Sprout's behaviour towards him had changed.

"Of course the students are sheep. Of course they can't think for themselves. They learn it from their teachers."

Emerald had certainly enjoyed that and had followed him out. Those words had been quite amusing coming from someone who freely admitted he was born to follow orders without questioning them. Ruby had walked out as well with words of her own.

"Snape, Binns and Trelawney are bad enough, but I thought the others had a brain in their head. I thought Hufflepuff were interested in fair play and friendly to everyone. Parents actually _pay_ to send their children here?"

The rest of the day had been less fun. Ruby had been depressed for the majority of it. Emerald and Mercury had only recently had an adult in their lives they could talk to. Ruby had been different, always having a father and an uncle to talk to. Even the professors at Beacon could be approached if there was a problem. It just didn't occur to Emerald how invaluable that was to learning until she arrived here. Cheering Ruby up had been very difficult and had required Qrow's help.

Apparently McGonagall approached Qrow and asked what happened. Qrow merely told her that the kids had chosen to self-study Herbology as they couldn't be sure their teacher wouldn't give them faulty information and for that plant to come up later in the tournament. McGonagall had not been happy, but did have to admit it was up to them which classes they chose to attend.

Mercury spent more time training in the Room of Requirement. The students may think that if they said their taunts quiet enough it wouldn't matter, but Mercury could hear them. No matter how tolerant he was, Emerald would admit the temptation to retaliate was overwhelming and they weren't even aimed at her. As a result, they chose to smash drones and mannequins in the Room instead of taking it out on the idiots.

Knifing a student may not be against the rules, but killing one was. That rule was actually written down with specific detail; no loopholes. That made Emerald wonder how many students had been killed in the school.

Still, as bad as Mercury had it from the sheeple, it was nothing compared to Harry. Those students had certainly made their opinions known and, unlike with Merc, they weren't quiet about it and were happy to say it especially when he could hear it. Zephyr, Ren and Nora had spent the morning after the Champion selection in the Great Hall and had returned quickly with that news. It had been a unanimous decision to show him the Room of Requirement.

Harry was always seen either on his own or with Hermione. No Ron. In fact, Ron was one of the major ones glaring and sneering at him. Some friend. The Beacon students approached him at the times he was alone and, while he never said it, he seemed grateful for the interaction.

The Hogwarts professors had started to put students in detention every time they heard racial abuse, but they couldn't be everywhere at once. The castle was huge and they were incredibly outnumbered. This resulted in the moron who opened their mouth being sent to the Hospital Wing and both the moron and his 'victim' ending up in trouble. This was never the case with the jeers of 'cheat' and general aggression Harry was facing, though it had yet to turn to spells. It was only a matter of time.

Ironically enough, Malfoy was one of the few keeping his mouth shut.

Students claimed that Harry got special treatment as the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. Emerald was actually in agreement. The 'special treatment' was that the professors seemed to think Harry should handle it on his own. He never got help from anyone and everyone knew Snape was one of his main tormenters since he first set foot in the castle. A school professor.

One step forward, two steps back.

Oddly, since that paper started claiming Mercury wasn't a muggleborn, the Slytherins gave him more calculated looks while other Houses started to avoid him even more. That suited him fine, but Emerald did wonder the true reason behind it. That Mercury may be from a pureblood family didn't seem right to her; the other purebloods weren't avoided.

Maybe today, they would get some answers.

On Wednesday, when Mercury and Emerald were in the Room of Requirement, Ruby and Yang had been talking to Harry. Those two had spent the most time with him since that accursed Goblet spat his name out and commented he looked tired. Harry had said he wanted to talk to them properly about his previous years and they had decided Friday after their final class: Care of Magical Creatures. Harry had asked to see their Combat Class afterwards with Hermione and they had agreed.

Somehow, Emerald thought her opinion of Hogwarts was going to sink even lower. That would be quite the achievement.

The class itself was nothing special to them, save Ruby actually beating Yang (barely and not with Yang's Semblance) along with Zephyr defeating Nora and Blake (also barely), but Harry and Hermione watched with fascination. It was a shame Hogwarts didn't offer Duelling as a course; Emerald would have loved to see that.

Ren had been the one to request the Room this time. He was then able to change it into a room that Emerald had never seen before, but obviously made Harry more comfortable. Zephyr whispered to her it was the Gryffindor Common Room.

The students gathered around the fireplace. Emerald, Ruby and Mercury got one of the sofas while Harry and Hermione got the other. Nora and Zephyr were happy to lie on the floor while Blake and Ren had grabbed some chairs from nearby. The adults were on the other side of the Room, close enough to listen but far enough away so they weren't intruding.

Harry and Hermione shared a glance. Hermione nodded and turned back to them.

"Okay. What do you know of the 'Boy-Who-Lived'?"

Mercury scoffed. "That it's an absolute scandal any idiot should have seen through?" That obviously wasn't that reaction they were expecting. So Merc continued. "A Killing Curse is characterised by two things. One: it kills. Two: it doesn't leave a mark. Therefore, it is impossible Harry was hit by one."

Hermione face-palmed. "Of course. For the sake of this story, he was as that is what everyone believes." She glanced at Harry, whose face was blank, before continuing. "Voldemort was the terrorist that used the Dark Mark. He promoted what is known as the 'Pureblood Agenda'; that they have the right to rule over muggleborns. The Dark Mark is essentially a skull with a snake for a tongue, often left in the sky of their victims. His followers at the time often had a tattoo of it as well."

With a sigh, Emerald shook her head. "Typical that the purebloods are branded like cattle and they call the muggleborns the animals."

Harry let out a dark chuckle at that. It sounded strange coming from him. Hermione's flickered to him for a moment, but then showed a small smile as well. Maybe they were thinking of how the purebloods would respond to that statement.

"On Halloween, V-Voldemort is defeated." What was with the stutter? Harry's face had gone blank again. "No one knows how. All they know is that V-Voldemort visited the Potters, James and Lily died and Harry was alive. And so began the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived, thirteen years ago."

None of them were happy with that. Blake put it into words, but she and Merc had actually read about it. "I don't understand how. If Harry and Voldemort were the only ones in the house that night, how do they know what happened? If Harry was only…one at the time, where did they get their information? From Voldemort himself?"

These idiots actually believed a one year old survived an unsurvivable curse?

Come to think of it, with their level of idiocy, Emerald shouldn't be surprised.

Hermione seemed thoughtful, but didn't comment on that question. "V-Voldemort was thought to have died that night."

Mercury groaned. "Again, why? The only unshakable facts the history books give is that there was no wand and no body. The rest is pure speculation that none of them agree on. Where magic is concerned, I would think no body meant no death. Most likely what happened is that Voldemort entered the house, killed Harry's parents, cast some curse on Harry that wasn't the Killing Curse and then left again. Looking at how the Pureblood Agenda has been in the political climate ever since, maybe Voldemort moved to a more political stance."

Seeing as Mercury had spent a great deal of time looking at laws in the library for Qrow's essay, he would know what he was talking about. He also had a good point. No body in their world could be the result of Grimm. But there were no Grimm here and certainly not in a house. Who knew what their magic could really do?

For the first time, Harry spoke up then. "Voldemort was defeated that night, though that was proven as fact later, at the end of my first year." With a frown, Harry shook his head almost angrily. "You're not wrong with the rest though. It's not what happened, but there was no way to know it at the time."

At the end of his first year. Why and how did Harry meet Voldemort at the end of his first year, when he was eleven?

Zephyr decided to get the story back on track. "So, jumping to insane and impossible conclusions, the magical world decides that Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived and killed Voldemort. So how did you meet him in your first year here? And, I hesitate to ask, but what were the teachers doing?"

Ozpin did encourage independence, though not stupidity. That said, Beacon was a Combat School that was training warriors. All of the students, save Ruby, were of age. Using them as soldiers was one thing, but Hogwarts students shouldn't be. Especially as they weren't trained for it while Beacon did teach survival skills.

An eleven year old should not be anywhere near a terrorist, regardless of previous connection to that terrorist.

Harry continued the narrative. "After that, I was sent to my aunt and uncle. For ten years, I grew up in the muggle world and had no idea that the Wizarding World existed."

"What, no fan or hate mail?" Yang chuckled. That faded when she saw the Hogwarts pair staring at her. "What?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged a look. Then Harry continued. "Anyway, on my eleventh birthday, Hagrid showed up and took me to Diagon Alley. That was my first experience of the Wizarding World. Hagrid picked up an anonymous package from Gringotts, the bank run by goblins. I met Ron on the train on the way to Hogwarts after his family helped me onto the platform. Then the Hogwarts first year began."

Sounded straightforward so far, though Emerald was curious as to what Hagrid picked up from Gringotts. Harry wouldn't have mentioned it unless it was important.

"Malfoy has been a hindrance since the train ride that year, though I met him in Diagon Alley that day. He challenged me to a duel at midnight in the trophy room. Me and Ron agreed and so snuck out."

"You've missed something Harry," Hermione interrupted. "At the Welcoming Feast, Professor Dumbledore stated that the third floor corridor was forbidden to all students."

 _Why?_

Harry nodded. "Thanks. Anyway, Malfoy never showed up. Filch did instead." It took Emerald a few seconds to remember that was the caretaker. "So we ran for it and found ourselves on the third floor. Not that we knew that until we went inside. Inside was a gigantic, and I mean gigantic, three headed dog."

 _So that's why. They have three headed dogs in this world?_

Emerald was used to seeing Grimm in the Grimm Studies class. Judging by the way Ruby tensed against her, they didn't bring Grimm to class in Signal. That may have been asking for disaster. Then it clicked that a three headed dog should not be in a school, especially where eleven year olds could find it.

Nora grinned and whispered something to Ren that sounded a little like 'twins'. The Weasley Twins had a betting pool on everything. They would be the ones to talk to in order to find out exactly how many students knew of it.

"A three headed dog?" Blake repeated.

Ruby sniggered. [Imagine Zwei with three heads.]

Before she could stop herself, the image did come to Emerald's mind. Mercury shook his head and Emerald was in agreement; that would be terrible. [I'd rather not Ruby.]

"A three headed dog," Hermione nodded. "It was standing on a trap door."

"Sounds like a fun challenge," Mercury stated. "I mean, it's not like there was an Age Line stopping you from getting in."

They definitely needed to talk to the Weasley Twins.

Both Hogwarts students gave Merc an odd look. "You're crazy," Harry stated in the same tone of voice Merc had used. Then it changed. "And not wrong…" He shrugged. "Anyway, it turned out the dog belonged to Hagrid…" That explained a lot. "And the name Nicholas Flamel came up. He created the Philosopher's Stone."

The group glanced at the three main readers in turn. All three shrugged.

They got their answer from Ozpin. "A Philosopher's Stone uses alchemy to create immortal life or to turn any metal into pure gold."

Ruby frowned, very confused. "That doesn't sound like something you should have in a school. Why take it from a bank and put it in a school that was in session?"

They actually got an answer from Harry. "The bank was broken into later the same day Hagrid emptied it."

"Then there's even less reason and more risk." Then Ruby remembered she was talking to two kids that were telling a story and not in charge. "So Voldemort came after it? But how did you know Voldemort was even around to go after it?"

Emerald was very sure she misheard what Harry said next. Zephyr's response convinced her she hadn't.

"Harry, do all of your professors hate you? And why were you sent out of bounds after curfew for being out of bounds after curfew? And 150 points sounds very excessive."

Hermione opened her mouth there, but nothing came out. With a frown, Harry spoke. "While I didn't know it at the time, my father and his friends were pranksters, like the Weasley Twins. Maybe she was trying to discourage me from…That doesn't work. She lied then and that doesn't make sense if she didn't know I didn't know…"

Emerald's head hurt. "Can we back on topic? You were sent into the Forbidden Forest…" What had McGonagall been thinking? "…but what happened?"

"I saw Voldemort feeding off a unicorn. It kept him alive, but only barely. A cursed life, although he wouldn't care. Anyway, that's when we knew Voldemort was alive and after the Stone. Hagrid let slip he told someone how to get past the dog and we go to McGonagall to ask her to tell Dumbledore someone knows."

Mercury sighed. "Let me guess: she ignored you?"

"She told us not to worry and the Stone was perfectly well protected. She also said Dumbledore wasn't in the castle."

Emerald face-palmed. "You can't be serious. That would be a perfect time to go after it. And she ignored you?" She could see where this was going.

"Yeah. So naturally, we had to go ourselves. The dog, Devil's Snare, flying keys, a chessboard, another troll-"

"Another?" Nora interrupted. "Do you have troll slaying days? When's the next one?"

Hermione bit her lip. "A troll was let in at Halloween that year. Harry and Ron defeated it before it could kill me when it found me." She nodded. "Okay and after that it was a potions logic riddle. Ron sacrificed himself on the chessboard so we could go on and there was only enough potion for one so Harry went on alone."

Something was odd about Ron here. Why would he be willing to sacrifice himself as a First Year and be hateful in Fourth Year about a tournament that was trying to kill Harry?

Harry's voice was very off now. It was almost mechanical. "I confronted Voldemort. He had been possessing our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor all year. I don't know why, but he couldn't touch me. I won and later woke up in the Hospital Wing."

 _Well, that's nice and vague. Maybe though…_

"What happened to your professor?" Ren inquired. "Is he in hospital?"

"…He's dead. I don't know why, but it's thought that the possession killed him. Voldemort's spirit vanished."

But Harry wasn't sure the cause of death. Was that fact or was it some…What did Qrow call it? Survivor's guilt? Two people in a room and only one leaves alive. Emerald could see that.

Ruby smiled a little. "I'm sure you weren't to blame."

Harry blinked at her. After a moment, he shook his head and looked at Hermione. "What'd we miss?"

"He also jinxed your broom at the Quidditch match. Hagrid won a dragon egg and that's how he knew to get past Fluffy once he was drunk enough. Our detention was a result of sending it to a reserve." She was quiet for a moment. "I think that's it."

"That's a very exciting-" Nora began.

"And worrying," Ren added.

"First year," Nora finished with a large grin, paying no attention to Ren. "Are the next two years like that?"

As it turned out, they were.

For their Second Year, none of the Beacon students interrupted. They merely made a note of the questions to ask using some appearing paper and crossed off the ones they got answers to. They were still left with quite a list each.

"Voldemort is a half-blood?" was Mercury's first question. "Talk about a hypocrite. Not even a muggleborn parent either. Then again, half-bloods and muggleborns do tend to be the more powerful."

"Where did you learn that?" Hermione asked.

A book appeared on the floor next to her. "That's the test results of all the students for the past 50 years. Cross reference it with the pureblood family tree, which looks remarkably like a bramble bush, and you've got a rough estimate. If you want to be sure, their academic records state whether they are pureblood, half-blood or muggleborn. The majority of the 'pureblood' families that tend to do well are ones that have married muggleborns in their history somewhere."

Hermione began to flick through it. "Isn't this private information?"

"Family tree definitely isn't. And again, it's not against the official rules to ask about someone else's results and teachers are supposed to give you details on your own progress throughout your entire time at Hogwarts. After you graduate, the results are open for everyone. They should be what gets you jobs, after all."

Everyone in the Room knew they didn't. Hermione was understandably angered by it.

"I don't understand," Ruby began after a moment's quiet. "Lucius Malfoy is responsible for a Basilisk being unleashed in the school, nearly resulting in several deaths, and he gets away with it? How?"

"He was kicked off the Board of Governors," Harry pointed out.

Mercury shook his head. "You said that was for blackmailing them. Not the same thing. All of a sudden, Malfoy Jnr being such a stupid little idiot who thinks he's immune to retaliation makes sense."

"Seriously though?" Zephyr pressed. "Nothing?"

"There's no proof," Harry responded simply. He didn't sound as bothered as Emerald thought he would be given what she knew of his personality. "The Malfoys are seen as upstanding citizens, especially in the Ministry and they're loaded. Without heavy proof, nothing can be done and nothing would be done even if we did have proof."

It was clear Harry didn't mean to say that last bit, but it didn't matter. According to the law, Malfoys could do no wrong. The only reason Malfoy wasn't still taunting them was because Mercury genuinely terrified him. He was someone who may be lower in the social pecking order, but was more than willing to back up his bark with very nasty bites.

"That diary," Emerald murmured before she raised her voice. "You said it could think for itself?" Mercury could put his aura into aura animals. They responded to his instructions, but there was no independent thought. Those two forms, fox and dragon, moved based on his personality. Mercury wanted to protect his Gems and they had responded to that. They didn't think for themselves and certainly didn't have the cognitive ability this ghost of Tom Riddle had.

Mercury hum caught in his chest, with only Ruby and Emerald noticing. His thoughts were probably similar to Emerald's.

"Yeah." Harry shrugged. "I can't think of any other way to describe it."

If it was draining the life out of a girl, then surely Riddle should have behaved as she did. If his will was stronger than hers, then there must be something very off about that diary. A split personality that he isolated and stuffed in the book maybe?

Was that possible with their magic?

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Ruby began hesitantly, "but if these attacks happened over months, what did the student population think?"

Harry didn't answer. His eyes went hard.

Hermione's voice was quiet. "They thought Harry was responsible."

Mercury blinked at that. "They thought Harry, who had a muggleborn mother and a muggleborn _best friend_ , was the one attacking the muggleborns?"

"Their logic was that he was a Parselmouth. That's seen as a Dark ability."

They had mentioned Harry could talk to snakes, but only as a reason of how to get into the Chamber of Secrets and how they figured out the creature was some sort of snake. They hadn't said the rest of it. How was the ability to speak a language evil?

Cinder had had an affinity for Grimm, but Emerald had been safe in the knowledge they wouldn't attack her if Cinder was around. It was logic and survival.

"I bet they're not in countries where human populations live near snakes," Blake muttered angrily.

"They tried to bully someone who they thought was setting a monster on students." Mercury groaned. "I take back everything I ever said about Beacon students."

So did Emerald. They might be naïve idiots, but even they weren't this stupid. When HION bullied Ruby, they weren't stupid enough to do it when Mercury and Yang were around (both very good fighters). A good call, since when Goodwitch pitted them against Mercury (who had found out what they were up to), he sent all of them to the infirmary in less than two minutes. They had never bothered Ruby again.

It was like these Hogwarts students all had a death wish.

Emerald rubbed her eyes. Her headache was steadily growing. The most annoying thing about Harry's First and Second Years was that he should never had been put in these positions to begin with. First Year the teachers blatantly ignored him when he tried to tell them and Second Year was even worse.

Of course, the fact that the Minister 'had to be seen doing something' and sent an innocent man to prison with no investigation seemed to sum up their society perfectly.

Yang was torn between being fascinated by the tale and very concerned about the things she was learning. "What about Third Year?"

Emerald wondered if Qrow had gone through his entire flask listening to these stories. It certainly wouldn't surprise her. Mercury had complained about the corruption in the legal system and how easy it was to abuse but the case of Sirius Black was just ridiculous from start to finish. She could easily see why Harry was so angry about it along with several things that probably hadn't occurred to him.

Hearsay resulted in the man not getting a trial, despite the fact it is impossible to blow twelve people into pieces that they could assemble the bodies and yet only find one finger of a wizard. Throw in the fact wizards could Apparate and the street was in chaos, it was very possible Pettigrew was alive. No wand check and no questioning. Beyond sloppy.

Emerald finally got an answer to the odd behaviour towards Mercury recently. Apparently the Blacks had quite the reputation for being evil and unstable. Despite the fact Sirius had fought for the 'Light' side from the very beginning and rejected his family and their teachings (including being good friends with a muggleborn) since he was at least _eleven_ , his surname damned him.

Then there was the fact that the Minister took Snape's word about them being Confounded, while they were standing in the _Hospital Wing_ , over a pair of teenagers that had already said he was knocked out at the time cemented the fact he should not be Minister. Typical that the gullible idiotic masses would be led by the most gullible idiot of them all.

The silence that followed Harry's final section on a device that could turn back time that the Chief Warlock encouraged them to use, having already barely survived a transformed werewolf and pack of dementors once, displayed their opinion quite well.

Zephyr stared into the fire. "Harry, do you even realise how screwed up everything you just told us is?"

Harry didn't answer. He seemed to be considering that himself. "I…Not until now. I never really thought about it."

Hermione remained quiet.

 _The problem with magic is that it is so easy to abuse. Taken individually, each event isn't much but together it is quite a depressing picture of the Wizarding World. There's definitely plenty of stuff he hasn't told us, but most of this could have been avoided if people just did their jobs. Instead, they're perfectly happy to let a kid sort their problems out while they abuse him. Why should we help people that refuse to help themselves?_

Not for the first time, Emerald wished they had never been dragged here.

* * *

Severus Snape was in a foul mood.

He was furious that Draco Malfoy had been permenantly harmed. He was even angrier at the fact that their professors did not react appropriately. Essays and History of Magic was not a punishment; it was schoolwork.

Minerva didn't see it that way. She had always complained about his Slytherins, but was quite blind to her own Gryffindors.

Severus wasn't convinced they came from a different world. He was sure that they were merely isolated somewhere on Earth. That was more likely.

They had also proven themselves to be an unapologetic threat. Their argument in not punishing Black (of course it was a Black) more was because it was very easy for an accidental death to occur and this was his first proper offense. That should aid Severus' opinion, not theirs.

However, fights in the corridors had escalated. If a professor did not intervene, there was normally a student in the Hospital Wing. This was a direct result of Black's actions. There was also the fact his name came out of the Goblet of Fire, something Branwen had confirmed the boy was old enough to do.

Severus had questions as to why they were really at Hogwarts. Was this Black's normal attitude or was his lack of punishment due to him following a script? If it was the latter, what was the purpose? Was it coincidence that his name came out or did they find a way to trick the Goblet?

Black was on the Grand Staircase, choosing to exit on the second floor. Most likely, he was going to the library.

It was a split second decision, but the risk was low. Once Black was out of sight, Severus cast a Disillusion Charm on himself along with a Silencing Charm before following. He needed answers and he needed them before something more drastic happened.

Black stopped after a few seconds. He glanced all around him, almost as if he was looking for something. After a moment, he continued on his path. There was no change in pace.

This was the risk. However, Severus needed information and there was no way for this to fail or be detected.

 _"Legilimens."_

Black stopped. Severus did not focus on that.

 _Black was a good description of his mindscape. There was nothing else. No emotions or images at all. Was he even human? Was he perhaps something the Dark Lord had created to infiltrate the school? Severus did not think it possible the Dark Lord could do this, but something was very wrong here._

Black turned his head slightly and looked him straight in the eye. Severus did notice that.

 _In his mind, there was something in the distance. It was a whitish silver. Intrigued, Severus ventured closer to it but maintained a cautious air. A serpent like creature was moving freely in the darkness, almost in a dance. Before Severus could determine its figure anymore, it vanished as mysteriously as it appeared._

 _Curious, Severus ventured further forward. With nothing to contrast, he couldn't be sure he was even moving._

 _A flash of whitish silver._

Severus panted. Retreating from the thing's mind had been a very close call.

What the bloody hell had that thing been?

"That wasn't very smart Snape." Black sounded amused. "Fascinating what your magic can do. It's almost as fascinating as your complete lack of morals. If violating the most private privilege someone has on a whim is what the…" Black laughed. Almost joyfully. "'Good guys' do, these Dark Lords must really struggle to push the bar further. Next time Snivellus, I won't be so merciful."

What the hell was he?

/

Ruby had dragged Harry down to dinner in the Great Hall. Although Beacon had alternated between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables (Beauxbatons were with the Ravenclaws and Durmstrang with the Slytherins), they had chosen the Gryffindor table every day this week. With eight students, it was easy for them to make a bubble around him and Hermione.

They ignored the other students completely.

Harry was silent. Hermione knew his favourites and the others had good eyes, so he merely needed to look at the food he couldn't reach for it to be handed to him. Hermione chatted with Mercury and Ren about the mechanics of Ancient Runes. Harry listened, but wasn't really able to follow the conversation.

Neither could Ruby or Nora, who decided to try and talk to him about Hogsmeade. That was a topic Harry was happy to tell them about.

It had been difficult. Telling them part of his story. There were some parts he missed out (such as his life at the Dursleys and the true importance of his Patronus) but he had told them more than he had ever told anyone else.

When he calmed down, Harry felt…lighter. There was no other way to explain it.

It was, without a doubt, the most relaxing meal he had had in the Great Hall since his name came out of that Goblet.

It was just as well. He had Quidditch practice after dinner. He had avoided Ron all week, something that was very easy to do with him doing the same.

"Come to mingle with the commoners?" Ron sneered.

Rather than argue, Harry deployed the best anti-Snape and Dursley tactic he had: ignore the individual and pretend they don't exist. He mounted his Firebolt and took off into the sky.

It was getting a little too dark for the Snitch to be released, so Angelina had him doing drills. Unlike the others, Harry couldn't practice during the holidays and she wanted to be sure he hadn't gotten rusty. That was fair enough.

It also gave Harry the opportunity to enjoy just being in the air. His eyes caught the stands; the very stand that Sirius had watched his match from in dog form. Sirius had said he had done that every match. Not for the first time, Harry wished Sirius wasn't on the run.

The first Quidditch match was next Sunday: Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw. He was greatly looking forward to it.

After half an hour, Angelina called him down along with the others.

"Okay, time to handle the Quaffle. Twins, I want you two to act like human bludgers. Try to disrupt our play, but no contact. Ron, you're on defence. Harry, you're on lookout. Get up high and give us a report afterwards."

Before Harry could speak, Ron scoffed. "Yeah, let's let the cheater-"

Angelina cut him off. "Ron, I don't give a damn whether Harry is Prince of Hogwarts up in the castle. Here, he is Gryffindor Seeker and has been on the team for the past three years. He knows our plays and best to catch mistakes now than during a game. Whatever problems any one of us have with each other, it gets left at the changing rooms. Got it?"

Ron glared at her. "Fine." He took off again.

Not ten minutes later, Angelina called for them to stop. She brought them down again and spun to glare at Ron. "What was that?"

"What was what? I caught it!"

"And then you lobbed it at Harry for no reason!"

"Hardly my fault he can't catch." The fact that Harry was juggling it is his hands was lost on Ron, who had been too far away to see him catch it.

Angelina growled. "Ron, get back up to the castle. You're off the team."

Ron paled. Then his face turned red. "What?! What kind of-?"

"In case you forgot Ron, there were two Keepers that caught five out of five. You were chosen because we thought you were more of a team player, not because you are a superior flier. Now leave and never come back."

With a collective sigh, the Twins took one arm each and literally dragged Ron off. One Twin must have Silenced him because Harry was very doubtful he would go quietly.

Harry also sighed. "Sorry Angelina."

Katie waved a hand. "It was a team decision Harry. It's bad enough having a new member on the team without having them attack a teammate."

Angelina nodded slowly. "Agreed. And if we can't sort out McLaggen, then we'll take one of those that saved four. Maybe they were having a bad day."

Harry stared after Ron. He was Quidditch obsessed; he had been since Harry met him. Yet he chose to throw that chance away over a fit of rage at Harry. Normally, the Seeker didn't even interact with the rest of the team save during practice. Ron could have spent the entire time ignoring him, but he didn't. Ever since he was a First Year, he had wanted to be Quidditch Captain. This was never going to end well. He chose to attack, despite knowing the Captain wouldn't like it.

Why was Ron so angry at him?

/

"That was very foolish Severus."

"They are hiding something Albus. I was merely trying to determine if they are deliberately a threat to Hogwarts safety or if this was some ill thought out plan with no understanding of the consequences."

"They understood the consequences of scarring Mr Malfoy, Severus. The incident was also not planned beforehand. Mercury Black acted alone." Albus sighed. "There has been an accident in the past Severus. One of their students got on the wrong side of a group of mercenaries. They assumed they had their aura unlocked and, as the mercenaries were aiming to kill them, they responded in kind. One hit knocked one's head clean off. They do not want a repeat here."

Severus scowled as he thought. "Said student should have been expelled. Murder from such a young age-"

"It was an accident Severus." Albus' gaze became firm now. "An accident that is very easily repeated with teenagers. The attack numbers have not increased Severus; it is that the victim of provocation is fighting back with harsher spells."

"They are a threat Albus."

"They are only a threat if we make them one Severus. Legilimency is a sure way of making an enemy of them. Do _not_ do it again. Fortunately for you, Mercury does not appear to have told anyone else."

That was impossible to believe. "That cannot be accurate."

"You saw Mr Branwen's response to Mercury's name coming out of the Goblet. If he knew that you violated his son's mind, he would certainly have made his displeasure known."

That did not make any sense. Why did Black keep it a secret from his own people? There was no way that dragon thing wasn't a defence and he had visibly responded to the Legilimency probe. He even named Snape as the perpetrator, even though most people couldn't even tell they had been 'read'.

What was the reason here?

The idea of blackmail came into Severus' mind. He was about to disregard it, but something about this young Black disturbed him. He complained about purebloods, but was in good grace with Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini.

Not purebloods, Severus realised. Black's problem was with incest and lack of ambition along with effort. Given the family he was either part of or shared a name with, that was wonderful irony.

There was an intelligence to him that scared Snape. The way that he had caught Snape's eye was almost predatory.

 _Snivellus…Where did he get that name from? It wouldn't surprise me if he was actually a love child of that blasted Sirius Black._

"He detected a Legilimency probe and then created a creature that I am certain would have shredded more than my subconscious had I been too slow. Something is wrong here." Perhaps if he tried the others, he could see if Black was off or all of them.

"You are _not_ to do this again, Severus." That was the tone that commanded obedience. "If that permenant scar to Draco Malfoy is a warning not to cross him, then I do not wish to test what he is willing to do to someone who has already disregarded one."

Reluctantly, Severus did not try his luck with the others. While he had no intention on trying on an adult, another discussion about the monsters they claimed to face made him reconsider. A strong mental defence was good for trauma and their world of Remnant had an imminent threat of trauma.

/

All the kids had left for dinner. Even Emerald and Mercury were willing to head to the Great Hall with Harry that day. While they didn't necessarily like him, his accomplishments were certainly worthy of respect.

As it happened, Winky listened to Qrow as their guardian. While she would take the trio's orders over his, she was perfectly happy to provide all four of the adults with refreshments. This was going to be a long night.

Amber sighed. "I had heard rumours about the Heir of Slytherin and Sirius Black when talking to the students, but certainly none of the facts. I can perfectly understand why Harry had no wish to tell any of the students what happened given how they are treating him, but it is worrying he's left to flounder on his own."

Glynda nodded. "Agreed. With the exception of Snape, the other professors have tried so hard not to give him special treatment that they have settled on practically ignoring him completely. While he is certainly self-sufficient, I can think of many ways in which some of those situations could have been avoided."

"Such as a Fidelius Charm on the Stone itself for example," Ozpin suggested. "Or by asking the staff member they had on at the time what the secret passages were that the believed-to-be mass murderer would definitely know of." He sighed. "It matters not. The past is the past. However, I have no interest in merely allowing Harry to continue fighting a war that should not be his to deal with."

Qrow scoffed. "Good luck with that. He's been fighting it since he arrived at this nuthouse with no help from the responsible adults whatsoever. He doesn't trust them to help and I certainly agree. If I had to battle this Voldemort and had to choose between the entire Hogwarts staff or Harry, I would pick Harry. He at least gets stuff done."

"True, but it could be even worse than we think," Amber commented sadly. "Remember how they described the challenges in his First Year? A three headed dog: Hagrid told them in the end and is Harry's friend. Devil's Snare: Hermione knows her plants. Flying keys: Harry's the youngest seeker in a century. A chess set: Ron is a master at the game. A troll: they defeated one at Halloween. A potions logic riddle: given enough time, anyone could figure it out. It may be coincidence, but that gauntlet was tailor made for those three."

"And that's not including the fact the brooms could be used to fly over the chess set," Qrow tagged on. He did not want to deal with these people. "What drugs was that moron on when he thought putting a bunch of soul sucking monsters, which the so called murderer had already gotten past, around children with no supervision was a good idea? It's incredible they only attacked the boy they were supposed to be guarding three times."

"It's quite interesting," Glynda stated. "Harry's grades are rather average, although his DADA mark tends to be higher while his Potions grade is very low." She ignored and agreed with Qrow's snort there. "However, he responds remarkably well to stressful situations. I think he will do well in this tournament, provided he can focus on it."

"It is not Harry's performance that concerns me," Ozpin responded.

Amber nodded. "It's the rest of the school. They're starting to handle racial abuse, but not the general bullying. Surely they notice Harry's treatment?"

"Perhaps they believe putting the entire school in detention would not help."

"…They may be right. Some of them, like his Housemate Neville, believe he didn't do it."

"Children are also susceptible to pack mentality. These students have gone so long without boundaries that it will be some time before they adjust. As this behaviour was allowed, and therefore tacitly encouraged during Harry's Second Year, the older students are under the impression he is an acceptable target."

Glynda's fingers entwined. "We may not be able to help with teaching him spells, but we can aid in other ways. Given how powerful he is and how quickly he can learn on his own when he needs to, I don't believe he needs much help in that area."

"Mercury used this Room to create a magical obstacle course, something that they admitted they wouldn't think of. It is with tactics like that in which we can help him."

For the process of elimination, they did consider the possibility Harry may have been lying or exaggerating his story. However, it fitted with what they already knew and, if anything, he was scaling the events or his involvement with them down.

Irrespective of the delusions of many in this school, Harry wasn't a braggart or a liar.

Today hadn't been the first time Mercury and Blake had said their theory on the Boy-Who-Lived and Voldemort's likely survival. Harry's reaction to it had been interesting though. He despised the moniker so much, it hadn't even occurred to him to think on whether or not it was even possible. There was the question of who told that theory first.

There was another major concern that Harry's story had prompted in their minds.

Mercury was becoming difficult to handle. That story had probably made him worse.

Qrow knew what the main problem was. Mercury had grown up with a set of rules that would never appear in any halfway decent household. His family and his teachers were doing their best to teach him which were appropriate (very few) and which were wrong (nearly all of them). Therein lay the problem.

They were trying to teach him child abuse was wrong. Mercury had seen it occur non-stop since the very night they got here, even by a professor.

They were trying to teach him no one was above the rules of punishment. Malfoy had destroyed that very quickly.

They were trying to teach him to trust in others to do their jobs. Only under the threat of students trying to kill each other had the only competent decision been made, due to Mercury's violent actions.

They were trying to teach him he didn't have to do everything himself. Harry had almost single-handedly been fighting against a terrorist since he arrived in Hogwarts, with no aid from the teachers.

They were trying to teach him they would protect and safeguard him. Mercury was stuck in a tournament that could very well kill him.

Children and teenagers learned more lessons outside of the classroom than inside. If a child is told something, yet witnesses the opposite every day, they are going to learn the opposite is normal. Mercury would never have dared knife a student at Beacon, nor would he have any reason to, but he had leant very quickly the rules at Hogwarts were different and that he had to adapt. He had to be violent and merciless to keep him and his Gems safe. These students responded to nothing but fear because that is how they had been conditioned. They behaved more like a pack of wild animals than civilised humans.

Mercury was learning this was a battleground, not a school.

They did not want him to come to the conclusion that mass genocide was the answer to this society's main problem.

* * *

 **AN: There was the question on whether or not Harry will have aura. I will say the answer is no. Either they are from Remnant and have aura or they are from magical Earth and they don't. There is no way to convert aura into magic either. Each group has their own power and that is what they'll stick to. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **I know this chapter is rather negative about HP canon. That is a personal reflection about the events Harry gave and he only mentioned what was very important. He left out many of the good things because he didn't think they were relevant, it didn't occur to him to tell them or he wanted to keep it to himself. Once he started talking about his problems, especially concerning Sirius, he couldn't stop. As such, it is rather biased towards the risk of magic rather than its wonder. From an adult's point of view, especially one with kids (or nieces), they would be very concerned.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	6. Let the Games Begin

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

Hogsmeade, Mercury decided, was interesting in its own way but not worth the hype the Suicide School's students gave it.

With full knowledge of Ruby's sweet tooth (though Yang and even Emerald weren't much better), they hit the Honeyduke's last before returning to one of the pubs. Zonko's was amusing, the Shrieking Shack had the defaults for a haunted house (even if it was a werewolf that hadn't been there for years), the book shop didn't sell fiction (to everyone's annoyance), Dervish and Banks had some interesting stock that he had yet to see magicals use (what was wrong with wand holsters?), the Three Broomsticks was a decent pub as pubs go and Hog's Head was so obviously shady he was half surprised no one had shut it down yet. Qrow was going to feel right at home there. A good drink, tons of information and a bunch of idiots who couldn't keep their mouths shut. Madam Puddifoot's was a place that Mercury thoroughly erased from his mind with the very strong mental note to never venture in there again.

Mercury had initially been disappointed that the horseless carriages weren't horseless at all, but then found out that very few could see them. The Suicide School's students had seemed confused at his confusion and Ruby, Yang and Blake couldn't see them either. However, for some reason, Nora, Ren, Emerald and Zephyr could. Maybe these were the Thestrals (winged skeleton horses) that Hagrid had very briefly told them about; apparently there was a herd in the Forbidden Forest. But why could very few see them? A question for Hagrid on Monday.

The one thing the village was missing was a bank. Apparently the only bank was Gringotts and that was in London, at Diagon Alley. Harry and Neville had showed them how floo powder worked, even if they didn't follow them there. Maybe another day.

All things considered, it was an okay day out the same way that Vale was an okay day out. They were just limited to one fairly small village whereas the city of Vale was connected to other cities in the Kingdom.

At least when the students were in Hogsmeade, they were so absorbed in themselves they didn't bother to sneer at him. He had gotten to the point he needed to request someone who was always faster, stronger and more experienced than him nearly every time he walked into the Room of Requirement. It was a punishing fight against a completely black drone, but it was good at draining his annoyance with the bonus it improved his skills.

Mercury had been taught patience. He could lie in wait for a target for well over seven hours without moving if he had to, much like an actual wild predator. Therefore, he was very impressed these Suicide School's students managed to get on his nerves so well.

 _And their motto translates into 'never tickle a sleeping dragon'. These guys stick their head in its mouth and then poke it in the eye. If they lived on Remnant natural selection, or rather Grimm selection, would have wiped out the worst ones. In fact, this society wouldn't survive on Remnant at all. The Grimm would never leave them alone._

If he ever ended up in this magical world again, he was letting the Grimm loose. It would be interesting to see how pure their blood was when it was splattered across the ground. The muggleborns would probably be fine, but the purebloods? Definitely not.

This new anger at the purebloods had come from a very fascinating corner. Ronald Weasley had gotten it in into his head that Mercury was nothing more than a 'slimy Slytherin' and had been pretty vocal about the insanity of the Black family, apparently forgetting the problems Mercury had with most of the Slytherins. If only he knew the truth about Mercury's real biological family…

Rather than tell him that, Mercury pointed out that his grandmother was a Black and, contrary to popular belief, Black was a fairly common surname in the muggle world. As he expected, the ginger idiot didn't take too kindly to that and seemed to have a very short memory of what happened to those that actually attacked Mercury or his Gems.

 _What did Harry and Hermione see in this moron? Save for the chess-set, he has been useless to them._

Fortunately for Ron, his Twin brothers showed up and immediately dragged him off. They looked furious and, rather understandably, worried. Mercury waved absentmindedly, telling them not to worry about it. He quite liked the Twins. Before they left completely, Mercury asked one of them (who had come back after pulling Ron away to apologise) about the gauntlet on the third floor a few years ago. Apparently loads of students had known of it, but no one had managed to get past the chess-set by the end of the year.

Hermione had approached him after the encounter to ask what had happened. He didn't lie to her. She was very troubled, but nodded and told him of a few shortcuts around Hogsmeade. Mercury had made the mistake of finishing his butterbeer first (not a bad drink) and, with the large noise level, chose to go for a short walk on his own. While he knew the direction he needed to go, buildings weren't taken into account and neither were shortcuts. He thanked her and left.

Passing the post office though, Mercury hesitated. His initial idea had been to use Winky to see if there was another person with their kind of aura around, starting with the magical areas of London. If she did kill Nott, then she probably was still in the city, which was admittedly huge. It could take months. He hadn't given the assignment yet because he wanted to be sure there was nothing off about this not-bond and that Winky was loyal to them. Dobby had not been loyal to Malfoy and had helped defeat him that year. If a bonded elf could do that, he was hesitant to send a not-bonded one to search out a possible someone he knew was very manipulative.

It was possible he could just send a letter addressed to Cinder Fall and see if there was a response.

They had tested the theory of inhuman magic with Amber. Tracking spells and such didn't work on a Maiden, but for some reason owls could still find her unless she was somewhere spells could hide. Elves could find her as well, making the house elf tracking idea possible. Many thanks to Hermione, Hedwig, Harry and Winky for testing those theories, even if the results were confusing.

Mercury had yet to tell his Gems his thoughts on whether or not Cinder was here. He wanted to be absolutely certain first. Another look around the post office showed just how easy it was (it would have to be for the clientele) but he hesitated before leaving again.

Given his actions since he got here, it was probably in his best interest to offer the suggestion to the ones in charge before trying to contact his old boss.

He may have no idea where the others were, but Qrow was easy to find and was exactly where Mercury expected him to be. Qrow paid for his drink (McGonagall had given Ozpin three hundred galleons for this weekend to be distributed however he saw fit) and the two sat at a corner table. They weren't bothered at being overheard as there was very little that would be interesting to someone else. It would probably sound like a game.

"Problem Silvertongue?"

Mercury wanted to leave as soon as possible and return before his Gems got too worried, so he didn't dance around the topic. "Rather than use a servant, we could use a messenger."

Qrow understood the meaning very quickly and it only took another second for him to register who the messenger was being sent to. He put his drink down and considered. "Possible. That would encourage communications. In guerrilla warfare, that is dangerous."

He sounded a lot like Ozpin there. That didn't make the point any less valid. "Even if the war we are fighting is different? An ally in one and an enemy in the other?" Eleven appeared at the school, for a very good reason. One had appeared in the government building. If there was another, where had they started?

"It is dangerous in that nothing has changed. Even if you're right…" Qrow scoffed. "Especially if you right, then this is someone we do not approach. She can learn much from us and we would not learn much from her."

"How much can she learn, save the obvious, that she hasn't already learnt from the mole?" There was at least one compromised student at Beacon that had been feeding her information for a while. They knew this. "Maybe we can even get hints as to who it is. Then we have a more educated guess at what she doesn't know."

"Your initial plan was good Silvertongue and after what we heard, caution is the way to go before sending the servant. A few more days isn't going to change much. Then we wait."

"For how long? If she's moved on, we'll never find them or even learn if they exist." Mercury needed to know if Cinder was here. It wouldn't take her long to realise that she was immune to magic and, if she heard that some of the Beacon students weren't, she would come to the conclusion the Maiden power was responsible. One stray curse from a magical aimed at Emerald that she couldn't dodge would tell the one secret they did not want her to know. "The media may be relevant or it may not. We need to know."

Qrow nodded and sat back, studying him. The red eyes were normally rather dull, but they were bright now.

"You know my concern, Silvertongue."

 _Death. Betrayal._

"…I know."

"Then why are you pushing it? You may hate waiting, but you know it has its uses."

"…Because there is a very small chance of success." Cinder had almost certainly moved on from the crime scene and, if used correctly, a few days was all it took to lose a trail completely. "This route may not lead to anything either. But it is more reliable."

"And what if you are right? What if it is her? What then?"

Mercury let out a very long breath. "…I…don't know."

Qrow's fingers came off the glass completely. His entire focus was on Mercury. "…Has your answer changed?"

"No. She is a threat to them. There would be no reasoning with her even if it did."

Cinder had 70% of the Spring Maiden's power. Emerald had the remaining 30%. The minute that Cinder learned that, Emerald's life was forfeit. Under no circumstances could Cinder be allowed to learn that. Also, in order to gain control over Ginger, who was even more insane than Mercury originally thought, Cinder needed one of the three alive. Ruby was a very easy target.

Mercury had chosen his Gems over Cinder once. He wasn't changing his mind.

"You care for them that much?"

Had the topic been anything else, Mercury would have been furious at the assumption. In this case, he could understand Qrow's hesitance; his need to be certain of facts he already knew.

Mercury put his arm on the table; a silent invitation for Qrow to aura read him. He wasn't experienced enough with Qrow to talk properly even when detailing messages, but he could not lie. The person who was being aura read could not lie. Even if Qrow couldn't understand the exact words, he would understand the message perfectly well.

[I live and die for them. I would never hurt them.]

Qrow's hand moved from his arm to his shoulder. He gave it a pat before gripping it gently. "You are not getting directly involved. I don't want any of you anywhere near her. Not even by letter. I don't want her focusing on you."

"Agreed." Gladly.

"…Have you told them yet?"

"No. I wanted to be certain first."

"Here's a tip when dealing with women Silvertongue: they always find out. They need to know in case she does reply." Mercury nodded slowly. Keeping this a secret, especially from Emerald, had probably been a bad idea. Qrow gave his shoulder one final pat and leaned back again. "Enjoy the rest of day Silvertongue. Maybe go flying tonight. I think the three of you need it."

Flying. The trio hadn't gone flying since they got here.

Qrow came with him to the Three Broomsticks pub. The few students that took notice of him didn't come any closer. Apparently none of them were in the mood for a chat, much like Mercury himself, or they had no interest in approaching him with Qrow there.

Harry and Neville had returned from their little trip and were at the same table, yet the Gems had still left an empty chair for him, along with a new drink. He was suspicious of that (poisons and potions could easily be slipped into drinks), but through aura reading Emerald promised she kept an eye on it and it hadn't been tampered with. After learning that Hermione had actually brewed Polyjuice Potion, they were very cautious of what the other students could do.

Qrow hadn't stuck around long. He had merely dropped Mercury off, made a comment on false advertising alcohol (why was it called butterbeer?) and left with a pat on all three's backs.

What the four others spoke of, Mercury didn't really remember later. He recalled many mechanics of the conversation, such as the theory that these humans had magical cores that the wand could channel that magic through to perform spells. If a wand wasn't matched, then it was like trying to push tar through a tunnel rather than water. It was possible to do magic without a wand, but that was difficult. Ruby later wondered about that: all magicals had feats of accidental magic that was wandless. Emerald was probably right about the lazy mind-set of magicals.

They ate dinner in the Great Hall, though he hadn't wanted to. Emerald was the only one who noticed something was off, but while she stayed close to him and kept an arm around him, she didn't ask.

Then Mercury sat them down in the Room that was their living room, with them on the sofa and him on the floor. He told them his suspicions and why. He told them about his original plan and the true reason for hiring Winky, but also the idea of just sending a letter to be sure. Using a house elf could take months or couldn't give them a proper answer. If it was Cinder and she responded to a letter, they may know by the next day.

They were silent; they never interrupted. Ruby's emotions played on her face and, while he couldn't read all of them, anger and hate weren't there. Save for a frown, Emerald remained expressionless.

Even when she spoke. "You should have told us."

Mercury didn't respond. He honestly didn't know how.

Ruby's eyes flickered between the two. There was worry there. "What if it is Cinder?"

That Mercury could respond to. "Then we're more careful and try not to get involved. Then we know for a fact, rather than suspect."

"Do you really think that'll work?"

"Probably. Cinder has no allies here and she's not going to find any. They are far too incompetent by her standards. She won't work with them and attacking us alone isn't in her favour due to Emerald's and your Semblances. Unless she learns that, she won't come after us. The risk is too high."

"…You could be wrong," Emerald muttered. She didn't sound convinced.

"I could be." That was why he initially didn't want to tell them.

Ruby pulled Emerald into a hug then. It took a glance from her to assure Mercury that Emerald wasn't (too) angry at him and would like his comfort as well.

Cinder had been a topic that had been touched on for practical reasons, but they had never truly spoken about her otherwise. While Mercury had easily made a clean break when they went their separate ways, Emerald had been a lot closer to her emotionally. Cinder abandoning them to die had cut her far deeper than she showed. She had tried to make it seem she was as unbothered as Mercury, but they knew that wasn't true. For Emerald, it must be similar to having a mother figure abandon her and was now trying to kill her.

Emerald had always refused to talk about it when asked, even to her Quicksilver. They hadn't pressed her. Mercury had wondered if Emerald was trying to forget. He had never been sure how long Emerald had been with Cinder before they recruited him, but he knew a lot could happen in a very short amount of time.

Mercury had to be in their given dorm room by nine, unless they had a very good reason for staying in the Room. That was easily done and fair enough. He hadn't been forbidden from creating his aura fox, possessing it and wandering the castle and grounds as it. As the girls could possess the eagle and quetzalcoatl (while he couldn't), they had often gone flying around Beacon at night.

With all their stress and worries, those nightly flights around a school once again became a habit.

* * *

Things between Harry and Ron had deteriorated even farther than before. While before Ron had been fine with sticking to sneering at him, he was now the main driving force behind Harry's isolation. With Hufflepuff shunning him for obvious reasons, Ravenclaw shunning him due to one of their most popular dating Cedric (that ended Harry's crush on her and fuelled much destruction in the Room even if she had never done him any harm), Gryffindor mostly shunning him due to Ron (with the rest ignoring him) and Slytherin shunning him for obvious reasons, Hermione, Neville and the Remnant group were the only ones who were friendly to him. If there were others who believed him, they were staying quiet or he didn't come across them.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just the students.

Professor Sprout had gotten a little better and had decided to ignore him completely rather than be cold to him (he learnt later that Mercury had walked out), but there were few changes in the other professors. On one day, Snape (who Harry no longer saw as a professor) had happily announced they would be testing Harry's antidote on him with a genuine poison.

Needless to say, Harry had been very relieved when Colin pulled him out of the class, even if it was something for the circus.

However, it hadn't been long before he was wishing he was back in Potions.

As it was called 'the Weighing of the Wands', Harry was very sure Mercury wouldn't bother showing up; he didn't have a wand. The adults weren't very happy with this, but only moved onto the actual event half an hour late when his father spelled out the blindingly obvious through the First Year they had been using as an owl.

Harry genuinely felt sorry for the kid. Wizards certainly believed in 'shoot the messenger' and it was only by his and Cedric's efforts that the Gryffindor First Year left without being traumatized.

In fairness, the actual event wasn't that bad. It was merely anticlimactic and certainly didn't need the fanfare the officials were giving it. Harry understood they needed to check their wands were working properly, but they didn't need such a spectacle.

Harry had been distrustful about Rita Skeeter from the moment he saw her. His loathing for her would only come later when, despite denying an interview, a very insulting one appeared in the Daily Prophet the next day.

The only good thing about the whole incident was that he got him out of being poisoned during Snape's class.

To Harry's surprise, Cedric followed him out. "Hey Harry. Wait up a minute."

Immediately, Harry was on guard. Cedric had not been one of the ones trying to bully him, but he had done nothing to stop it either. "Yes?"

Cedric seemed a little flustered. He took a deep breath and that uncertainty was replaced with determination. "Harry, look me in the eye when you answer this. Did you put your name in the Goblet?"

Harry wanted to get angry. However, there was something in Cedric's eyes that stopped him. He wasn't accusing. He was merely asking. No one had done that. So he responded emotionlessly.

"No."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Cedric nodded. "Okay. I believe you. I'm looking forward to an honest match in Quidditch, Harry."

"Yeah. Same."

As Cedric walked off, Harry found that was a Quidditch match he was looking forward to. Their last match had been interrupted by dementors.

It had been a unanimous decision after one practice to not allow McLaggen on the team either. In the end, they had gone with a Fourth Year called Fay Dunbar. She said from the beginning she preferred the position of Beater, but did admit that the Twins were better and was wondering if they were willing to teach her while she used her skills to play Keeper. She was actually pretty good. While Fay was in Harry's year, he hadn't really spoken to her. This wasn't really due to arrogance, but more to do with running in different social circles.

Still, she told Harry at their first practice that she believed he didn't put his name in. While it wasn't a matter of knowing him; it was knowing the evidence. If Harry put his name in, he should have come out as the Hogwarts Champion, not an unknown fourth school. Not insulted and actually rather relieved, Harry thanked her.

After the Weighing of the Wands 'ceremony', Harry had a free period. He chose to head to library, expecting to find Hermione already there. They had a lot of research to do.

It was true that the Remnant group couldn't help much with teaching spells. However, they did help anyway they could. Professor Ozpin had offered advice that Harry had never gotten from his teachers and he fully intended to use it.

 _ **"Often, it would seem the mechanics of a spell are just as important as its function. If you understand how a spell works, you may find it useful it other situations. For example, if you had a spell to make a box explode, does magic create too great a pressure inside or does it force the particles of the box apart at a rapid speed? The Goblet of Fire itself was a good example."**_

The Goblet of Fire. If they knew the mechanics of how it worked, then they would know if Harry and Mercury were truly trapped in this tournament. Stupid officials.

They had written essays on those spells, but this approach had never been examined. At least not in Harry's. Zephyr had commented that if you gave a magical a 'cigarette lighting charm', he would only use it for lighting cigarettes. Give a muggle any type of fire creator (but tell them it was designed for cigarettes) and they would still use it for anything from lighting a campfire to arson.

Harry didn't necessarily have to learn hundreds of spells. He just needed to truly understand a few spells, but from a broad spectrum. The trick was judging what he needed to know.

Hermione was in the library. She was with all the Beacon students around one of the largest tables. A lot of books were scattered in the centre. Blake, Yang and Ren were reading some while Ruby, Emerald and Mercury merely seemed to be skimming through theirs. Zephyr and Hermione were taking notes. It was clear that Nora appeared to be looking at something else. She too was skimming through hers without really reading it.

Hermione was looking very worried.

Mercury noticed him first. His eyes flickered up, then down at his page again. "About time."

Hermione looked up then. "Harry. I wasn't expecting you for another half hour at least."

"It was a colossal waste of time," Harry muttered as he sat next to Hermione. "They should have just-" Then he realised that all the books were on one subject. "Why are you looking up dragons?"

Ruby closed her book and put it down. She gave Harry a sympathetic look before picking up a different one. "The First Task involves dragons. We saw five of them in the Forbidden Forest."

Dragons?

Dragons.

"Dragons?!"

"Dragons," Emerald confirmed. "Here. This was the fourth. Welsh Green."

Zephyr flipped back to the front of his book. Apparently his was one of the few that had a 'contents' page. After a moment, he flipped forward again. It was then Harry noticed that the books Ruby, Emerald and Mercury had contained more photos than information. They were identifying the dragons while the others searched for information.

"How do you know?" Harry asked. He pulled one of the abandoned, but open ones towards him. It was open on Swedish Short Snout.

Ruby smiled. "We followed Karkaroff into the Forest last night. He led us right to them. Viktor Krum almost certainly knows about them by now."

Blake continued then. "And with Hagrid interested in Madam Maxime and his interest in large creatures, she'll know about them very soon and so will her Champion."

"To be fair," Mercury smirked as he switched books. "I'm with him on the dragons. They are incredible."

Hermione scoffed. "Do not keep one as a pet."

"Wouldn't dream of it. They're far too good to be pets."

At first, Harry had been worried about the fact they (or at least Ruby and Mercury) had the same dangerous taste in pets as Hagrid. But when he saw them sparring with one another, he began to understand why. With their aura, they could take massive amounts of damage. They didn't find these animals as dangerous as wizards did, just like Hagrid. However, unlike Hagrid, these guys remembered that wizards couldn't take anywhere near the same damage they could.

Blake had started to spend quite a bit of time in Hagrid's Hut. Maybe he could convince her to see if she could get through to him.

"So which ones are there?"

Ruby began to count them on her fingers. "Welsh Green, Hungarian Horntail-"

"And good luck should a wizard get that," Mercury added happily.

 _So it will probably be me._

"Swedish Short Snout, Chinese Fireball and one other one."

"Peruvian Vipertooth. Smallest, yet fastest, known dragon breed with venomous fangs and a particular taste for human meat." Again, Mercury sounded far too happy.

Most of the others stared at him. Emerald shrugged and picked up a different book.

Harry swallowed. "Err…How small is the smallest?"

"About fifteen feet. It's just as resistant to spells as the others and good luck hitting this in the eye. Don't aim for the hide; it's a complete waste of time. It took seven fully grown wizards to Stun one last night."

The eye. That would be a weak spot. Or it would just anger the dragon even more. Having a creature at least 15 feet long angry at him was a very stupid idea.

"Seven adults," Hermione huffed. "And they expect students to be able to handle one."

"It does seem insane." Zephyr did not sound the slightest bit bothered there. Then again, he wasn't directly involved. "You're forgetting that, according to the rules, the competitors shouldn't know about the dragons beforehand."

 _Hang on…_

"Does Cedric know about the dragons?" Harry asked.

"Probably not," was Blake's response. "We haven't had time to tell him."

Ren nodded. "He is the only one who does not know. Most of his friends don't like us."

Harry was about to say the other Champions wouldn't know until he remembered the night of the Champion Selection. They had been more concerned about the fact he 'cheated' his way into the tournament and nothing about his well-being. Karkaroff would definitely cheat and a second thought agreed Madam Maxime would too.

"I'll see if I can find him." As true as it was Cedric signed up for the tournament and agreed on not being told, Harry had no interest in letting him face a _dragon_ unprepared.

Harry stood to leave. Ruby also stood up and began to follow him when she realised Hermione was staying for a while. She wanted to know everything she could about these breeds and the Beacon students were in agreement. Different animals had to be handled differently and any weakness a dragon had was something he wanted to learn.

"Hey Harry." Harry turned around at Mercury's voice. "Gringotts is in Diagon Alley, isn't it?"

 _Why does he want to know that?_

"Yeah. Right at the end; the huge marble building. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

Glad of Ruby's company and conversation, Harry started looking for Cedric. It may be a big school, but with the Marauder's Map, it was easy. Even better were the facts that Cedric was in the courtyard with not many people and the secret passageways made it easy enough to get to the ground floor without the normal sneers.

Cedric paled, but seemed to take the news rather well.

However, two days before they had to fight a dragon, there was a Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. They had the same team as last year, though that didn't necessarily mean the same tactics. It did mean they were much better prepared.

Gryffindor was always going to have the problem of a new Keeper and they had been spoiled by Oliver. They had had to change their game plan, but it was such a drastic change that it should surprise their opponents.

It would be good to compete in Quidditch again.

* * *

Ruby was bouncing in her seat.

It was the day of the first Quidditch match: Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw.

Ruby knew the rules. Now she desperately wanted to see a game.

"Welcome one and welcome all to the first Quidditch game of this very special season!"

Ruby was almost deafened by the cheering. She didn't notice; she was one of them.

"And they're off!"

Three Chasers. One Keeper. Two Beaters. One Seeker.

It was awesome.

Ruby had no problem keeping up with the action. Gryffindor was in possession, with the three Chasers playing hot potato with the Quaffle. The Ravenclaw Beaters actively chased the Bludgers around, but they didn't get anywhere near. The Weasley Twins were just too good. Their aim was absolutely incredible and didn't need to talk to each other to perform together.

Blue to blue…Intercepted by red…Snagged by blue in a pass…Snagged by red in a pass…Red to red to red to red to middle goal…

It was sensational.

Remnant sports were limited by gravity. While there was certainly a greater variety of sports in their world, none were like this one. This one was in 3D and at 4x speed. Merely watching brought excitement and joy. The closest they could get was a Vytal Festival in a zero gravity environment.

 _Actually, that would be very fun._

Red…Red…Blue…Red…Blue…Blue…Blue…Red…No one for eleven seconds…Red…

The match was very unpredictable. Just when Ruby thought she could guess the strategy, something would happen to throw it off, whether it was a Bludger or another player. That just made the game even better.

Gryffindor was 30-0 when possession of the ball became more than a game of hot potato between the two teams. Ravenclaw were now in possession. They appeared to playing a game of fetch, with themselves as the stick. Until…

"Ouch, nasty hit to Samuels. One Beater down and leaving Ravenclaw at the mercy of the Terror Twins. Get the other one! Just joking professor…And there goes gorgeous Spinnet!"

"Jordan!"

"Spinnet to Bell…Go on Katie…Bell scores!"

The commentator was fun as well. While having a Gryffindor narrating a Gryffindor match was a bad idea (and the bias was very obvious), he kept up with all the action well. He was somehow managing to keep an eye on the Quaffle and both Bludgers at once. Ruby had no idea how he managed to tell which player was which; they moved far too fast.

 _I wonder what a professional match is like._

This was a game Ruby wanted to play. It was awesome. High speed, plenty of action and it looked like lots of fun. The only problem Ruby had was the position of Seeker. It seemed odd that they had little to do until the Golden Snitch appeared and that could make everyone else's hard work mean nothing. 150 points seemed a little unfair.

Harry was hovering very high above the game; out of the way. It may just be Ruby, but he seemed both bored and happy.

Ruby thought she knew why. She could possess the eagle aura animal and, ever since she learned how to use her wings, she loved to fly. There was something exhilarating and free about soaring through the air.

"Good save by Dunbar…Ravenclaw still in possession…Davies shoots…and scores! 40-10 to Gryffindor. Don't worry Fay. Davies comes around again…Ooh, that's gotta hurt!"

One of the Weasley Twins had smacked a Bludger towards Davies. He dived to dodge it and accidentally collided with Katie Bell. Both were dropping fast. While Davies straightened out quickly, Katie was only a few metres from the ground before she pulled up.

Ruby let out a breath. She hadn't crashed.

Sudden movement caught her attention. Harry had shot into a dive. Cho Chang followed.

 _Go Harry!_

"Looks like Potter's seen the Snitch!"

Chants started for both players. While her focus was on the two Seekers, Ruby noticed in the corner of her eye that the rest of the game was continuing. They were paying no attention to what the Seekers were doing. In fact, Davies scored again by pulling a feint, pretending to head right and instead went left.

"Another goal for Ravenclaw…It was a good one, sad to say…Currently 50-30 but is this it?"

Harry was even closer to the ground than Katie had been when he pulled up without harm. In his hand was a little gold ball, the wings flapping wildly.

"Potter's caught the Snitch! That's the way you do it! Gryffindor wins 200-30!"

Cheers erupted throughout the entire stadium.

"Potter! Potter! Potter!"

Even with the pride and happiness in her chest, Ruby's huge grin slipped off. She frowned as she watched Harry land and get pats on the back from his team. She watched as many other Gryffindors came onto the Pitch to congratulate him. Her eyes trailed the stands until she saw Ron, who was still sitting and was glaring at the team. Ruby wasn't sure who, but she had a good idea.

The Gryffindors were now treating Harry as a celebrity, as if their shunning and sneering of him for the past few weeks never happened. Even the Hufflepuffs were congratulating him and the Ravenclaws weren't angry.

Circumstances hadn't changed. There had been no new evidence to suggest whether or not Harry put his name in the Goblet. But today was a day he was a hero and the word 'cheat' was never brought up.

The next day was a complete reversal. Everyone was back to ignoring him. There were less accusations, but they were still there. It was also the day before the First Task.

Ruby knew that Harry would spend most of the day alone as Hermione had a lot of lessons he didn't. Emerald had chosen to take Muggle Studies. Mercury was stuck in History of Magic. Nora, Zephyr and Yang were in Divination. Blake and Ren wanted to go through the dragon books one more time to be sure they hadn't missed anything.

Finding Harry wasn't easy. The castle was huge, Harry knew it well and he had a Map that could tell where everyone was on it. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

It wasn't Harry she found first. She heard voices inside a closed classroom and it didn't sound like a class was in session. Curious, she pressed her ear against the wood.

"-so stupid." That was Hermione.

"He'll be fine. He's beaten worse." Ron. Why was Hermione meeting Ron?

"That's not the point! You knew! You knew and you never said anything. Are you that pig-headed that you want to see your best mate killed?!"

 _Knew? Knew what?_

"Well, he's not my best mate anymore is he?"

 _He dodged the question._

"And whose fault is that? I don't want to hear it Ron. You tried to kill him. Argue it all you like; it doesn't change that. I doubt even Harry will forgive you for this."

"I'm trying to help him!"

"The night before? Really? When he has no time to use that information, this is when you tell me to tell him? We've known for four days; you've known for at least two weeks!"

 _Four days? They've known what for…The dragons? Ron knew about them for two weeks? Come to think of it, one of the handlers did have red hair. Another brother?_

Ron knew about the dragons and had for a while. He had said nothing until now. He would have said nothing to any of the Remnant inhabitants either. Even if Harry wanted to tell them, he wouldn't have time to do so until literally a few hours before.

Ron could have gotten Harry and Mercury killed. For what? A fit of teenage jealousy?

Ruby would never forgive him for this or forget it.

"You've known for four days? How?"

"That's none of your business Ron. You gave up your right to ask questions and be in our confidence when you became the main driving force behind Harry's exile."

"Hey, I wasn't the only one calling him a cheater!"

"But coming from his _best mate_ , those that were uncertain made up their minds. Coming from his _best mate_ , they were certain you were right. Coming from his _best mate_ , it must be the truth. Do us both a favour and leave us alone."

There was a brief silence. Ruby was about to leave, thinking the conversation was over, when she heard Ron's voice again.

"Hermione…How do I fix this?" He sounded…sad? What right did he have to be depressed? He wasn't the one who was betrayed by his best friend.

"I honestly don't think you can." Hermione's voice was hard. "Being jealous about a Firebolt is one thing, but Harry was put in this tournament probably to kill him and you _helped_. You even threw away a chance to be on the Quidditch team, possibly for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. No Ron, we can't trust you anymore."

"After everything we've been through?"

"Especially after everything we've been through."

Ruby heard footsteps heading towards the door. She dashed away, heading for the Grand Staircase. Tempers were already high enough without throwing an eavesdropper into the mess. Ron had been about to attack Mercury in Hogsmeade despite knowing he carried a knife that could scar and he was willing to use it.

Ruby wasn't used to defending herself from someone who didn't have aura. She was terrified she would really hurt them.

It occurred to Ruby to check the Room of Requirement. It was the one place he could be sure he wouldn't be bothered by other students. While he did eat in the Great Hall, he spent most of his time avoiding the others. It had been him that had shown Ruby where most the secret passages were, including one that led to Honeyduke's.

 _So many sweets…_

Harry was surprised to see her, but didn't stop his practice. He was Summoning wooden poles to him, about the size of Sun's staff, and then Banishing it to targets on the opposite side of the wall.

"Hi Harry. Great game yesterday."

"Thanks."

"Are Quidditch games normally that short?"

"Sometimes. Other times they can really drag on, especially in bad weather."

"Why not just reschedule it in bad weather?"

Harry scoffed. "No one would agree to that."

Ruby frowned, but said nothing. What would happen if the Snitch was never found during a school game? With how crazy for the game these guys were, they would probably put the match before classes. Quidditch looked like a great game, but there were a few things Ruby would change about it.

"So…Are you ready for tomorrow?"

He shrugged. "As ready as I'm going to be." He Summoned another pole. When he Banished it, it hit the bulls-eye. "How about Mercury?"

"As ready as he's going to be," Ruby responded. There was no other way to describe it. "I'm just worried about how the school is going to react. They haven't been treating either of you well." Then something occurred to her. "Did any of the students apologise after the Heir of Slytherin thing?"

"I could count them on one hand." The next pole hit the yellow circle. "How would Beacon handle it?"

Ruby thought about that. "There would probably be a lot of fights and not just in the arena. The teachers would step in, if only to make sure no one ended up in the infirmary. We can really hurt each other if we try. They are biased towards the victim."

Honestly, setting CRDL against the rest of team CFVY had been ridiculously unfair. Along with setting them against every well-known Faunus in the school, one at a time. They learned very quickly that bullying a Faunus was just asking for trouble.

"Sounds like a ringleader."

Ruby realised what she said. "They do offer counselling" which Emerald hadn't gone to after Mountain Glenn "and have a very tough stance against bullying. They just have to work around the fact that everyone is already 17 and Beacon is a Combat School. Bullying isn't tolerated, even if they have a rather…" What's the best way to put this? "Unusual disciplinary system."

HION had gone from disliking Ruby to bullying her. Just over a week since it started, Professor Goodwitch pitted them against Mercury. They had never bothered her since.

"But it works?"

"For us. But then people who go to Combat Schools are expected to be become protectors and have chosen that. Violence is expected. Signal's worse in a way, especially when you first create your weapons." Ruby considered for a moment. "I think it's due to knowing that your 'victim' can fight back if they want to. How good of a duellist is Malfoy?"

Harry thought about that. "I'm not sure. He never showed up for our midnight duel and our duel in Second Year, the snake stopped the match."

"Oh. Yeah." She had forgotten the school population were terrified of a language. "You know, it may not have ended well but a Duelling Club doesn't sound like a completely bad idea. You just need the right teacher to oversee it."

He seemed interested, but then he sighed. "It must be something. Someone would have brought it up in the past year otherwise."

"True," Ruby sighed. She may as well help Harry at least. If Voldemort returned, he needed practice duelling. "What Mercury often does is request an opponent that is superior to him in every way. I know he's managed to get a drone that could fire spells at him."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I think I'll do the same."

"How are you really feeling about tomorrow?" Ruby knew that Mercury was greatly looking forward to it. He wasn't too worried about his health, but he had promised to be careful. It wasn't in his nature to be afraid of anything.

"Fine."

Harry sounded just like Mercury there. Harry may have killed a Basilisk and fought off a lot of dementors, but he was also a year younger than Ruby. No matter how skilled you are, it only took one lucky shot to end a life and he didn't have aura like Mercury did.

Still, the Goblet had believed he was worthy of being a Champion, regardless of how his name was put in there in the first place.

With how he was handling everything so far, Ruby was in complete agreement.

"I'm sure you will be."

* * *

Padfoot trotted past the Three Broomsticks. It was quite late at night and so there was very few people around. In the dark, no one was going to spot an almost completely black canine.

Sirius hadn't told Harry yet that he was in the country. He had enough worries on his plate and there was no way he could help him at the moment. He planned to send a message the day after the First Task even if he heard from Harry. There were some things you didn't put in a letter.

Harry had asked for information on what he knew about dragons, specifically five examples, along with a possible strategy and also how some spells worked. He also asked about the specifics of the Map (in code) and why. It was an interesting problem. The Map was linked to the castle wards itself, so there was no way to fool it. Somehow though, three people didn't appear on it and all of them were from the 'Muggleborn School'. He could as least say that, while they had found the Room of Requirement, they hadn't known how it worked and, as the Room didn't really exist until necessary, it wouldn't appear on the Map.

Sirius was unsure about these individuals. The Prophet was sketchy at best when reporting news and he knew for a fact there was no 'Mercury Black' in his inbred family. It was likely he was a muggleborn.

Voldemort was almost certainly behind Harry's participation. Karkaroff was in the castle and was a known Death Eater, but that didn't quite fit. Karkaroff was a squealer and would be killed the moment Voldemort returned. Snape was another Death Eater and would have wanted to get back at Harry for last year. As much as he hated to admit it, Snape did have a brain in his head that was only damaged by someone with the name Black, Potter and Lupin.

The question was whether he was that petty. Sirius certainly thought so.

What angered Sirius the most about this tournament was how little support Harry was getting. His letters contained many references to these odd muggleborns (though he seemed to be hinting that there was something wrong with that description of them) and absolutely none about his own teachers. They seemed to be his _only_ support. Despite not meeting them, Sirius was incredibly grateful to these people for looking out for and helping his godson when no one else seemed willing to.

He was also concerned that, while there was plenty of mention of Hermione, there had been absolutely none of Ron.

Again, his letter after the Champion Selection came to mind. He had been almost desperate for Sirius to believe him. Sirius had sent a response that said Harry must be an idiot if he thought Sirius wouldn't believe him. Not for the first time, Sirius wondered about the tone of that letter. It had been too abrupt.

The following letters had been rather short and seemed more out of obligation until only a few days ago when he found out about the dragons. Sirius had responded with stories about his parents; ones that quite a few people would know of. Nothing to implicate who he was if it fell into the wrong hands, but trying to get Harry to see his parents were actual people and not perfect pedestals.

The change had been immediate.

Questions about how certain spells worked continued. However, they became a footnote in the very last paragraph rather than taking up all of it. The bulk of it was taken up by comments on the stories and a few questions he had about his parents. Apparently no one had talked to him about them either.

Sirius had let his godson down far too many times. He had wallowed in his grief every day since that night and he knew he would for some time to come. Even so, Harry deserved much more.

Harry shouldn't have to turn to a group of _strangers_ for encouragement and support. Sirius had no interest in replacing or discouraging them, but he was going to make himself useful.

Harry deserved so much more.

* * *

Qrow sat in the stadium and idly wondered if the idiots had remembered to make the wooden structure fireproof. Probably not. While it looked impressive, there were undoubtedly some problems with it. He could see the chains that would be tied to the dragon like a leash. Qrow wondered if they had put an Unbreakable Charm on it.

His bad mood was greatly enhanced when the full details of the First Task were revealed.

 _Steal an egg. From a nesting mother. A nesting mother dragon. While she is there. With no preparation. I hope these kids are as lucky as the organisers are insane._

It was just as well they already knew dragons were involved. Any species that was a mother was something to be avoided when they had young, even something as small as a cat. Throwing a magical animal into the mix was going to require all the luck and skill they had. Those along with a few prayers.

Idly, Qrow wondered what the Bulgarian Quidditch team would say if they found out their star Seeker got barbecued. Come to think of it, wasn't Cedric the kid of a high up Ministry official?

 _This is one way to get rid of unwanted kids._

Again, the possibility that a First Year could have been picked entered Qrow's mind. Would they have forced that kid into that arena unprepared?

Ironically enough, this Task was best suited to Mercury. He had an aura shield, experience with creatures this large and also knowledge of how to kill something this large. He was also knowledgeable about basic animal behaviour that was shared among many species. Mercury was the one Qrow was the least worried about.

 _Great. The biggest moron was commenting. Why couldn't they pick the kid that commented the Quidditch game? You don't need to pay him and he would do a much better job. And whose bright idea was it that the judge's panel would contain the three Heads? Favouritism anyone?_

Qrow tuned out of the speech Bagman gave. It could be summed up in one sentence: 'we're here to watch these kids do something no one in their right mind would do and what you would never have the guts to do'.

Did they even have a plan for when something went wrong? He very much doubted it.

Qrow knew how Mercury intended to handle his dragon. There were three possible ways, but only one that was certain to work with the others being possible. Upon learning this was a nesting mother, there was only one that would definitely work. The other two could (would) make the situation worse.

As for Harry, he wished him luck. He had been working with Oz and Glynda much more with Qrow focusing almost completely on Mercury. As such, he had no idea what Harry had in mind. Oz wouldn't have let him go to bed last night if there wasn't a plan in the works, but did a much more ferocious animal change that? Nesting mother dragons were known to kill anything that wandered too close to their nests, including other dragons.

 _They wanted to pit 17 year olds against these creatures, which were in the mind-set of monsters, with no preparation whatsoever. No wonder there were so many deaths._

Cedric Diggory was up first. His opponent was the Swedish Short Snout.

 _Okay, this kid isn't a total idiot._

Cedric didn't go for the 'attack the dragon' approach. He went for the 'distract the dragon' approach. Certainly a smart idea.

Two rocks were transfigured into animals. The idea wasn't bad, but there were a few things he had forgotten. For starters, Labradors weren't natural egg predators and so the dragon wouldn't recognise them as a threat unless they got too close. That meant she wasn't going to chase them around. A snake or some sort of rodent would have been better.

The other two problems were what got him. With the dragon not moving from the nest, Cedric had to get very close before sending the dogs in to act as a distraction. The fire breath killed the dogs easily. The second problem was that all these dragons had an excellent sense of smell. Once the scorching barbecue scent was gone, she would immediately notice a human nearby.

Very fortunately, Cedric was already a short distance away. He only caught the edge of the fire and, as the dragon couldn't see he had one of her eggs due to the angle, she didn't chase him. He was very lucky to get away with only second degree burns.

 _Hope their Healer's on standby._

Not the slightest bit interested in the scores, Qrow gazed around the crowd. The magical schools were cheering, overjoyed at the performance.

Beacon were a little different. They seemed more relieved than anything else, though Ruby seemed horrified. Emerald had winced when Cedric was burned, clearly remembering how much burns really hurt. Yang muttered something to both of them which caused them to calm slightly, but Ruby's reaction seemed to be to the crowd as well as the 'performance'.

Qrow understood what was bothering her. The Vytal Festival had a large number of safety features for the participants as well as the crowd. With Atlas practically boycotting the event, unless you had a Semblance like Emerald's, things should go smoothly in the ring. With the interest in the current Festival, something was almost certainly going to happen. There was none of that here.

This Tri-Wizard Tournament was nothing more than a very poorly organised blood sport.

This could have not been any more obvious than with what happened during Fleur Delacour's go against a Welsh Green.

In a way, she lucked out. This was the most docile of the dragons, though that counted for very little. Like the previous dragon, she wasn't interested in leaving the nest and merely watched Fleur enter with curiosity and caution.

Her plan and execution of it was pretty good. Rather than go with fight or distract, she chose to remove the dragon from the equation. She chose to put the dragon to sleep. As she didn't see Fleur as a threat and that there were no obvious predators around, it did work even if it took a while.

The mistake was that Fleur didn't take into account the buffoon acting as a commentator. The moment she grabbed the egg, he announced it at the top of his lungs with the equivalent of a microphone. Naturally, this woke the dragon and she very quickly assessed the situation. This resulted in first degree burns for Fleur, but the sudden stop of flames meant that the dragon recognised the egg Fleur had was not one of hers.

No matter how advantageous the situation was for a wild animal, they don't tend to get into fights they don't have to. There was always a risk of injury and, in this case, damage to the eggs. The magical human took a cuckoo egg out of her nest. The dragon was intelligent enough to know the human had what she wanted and wouldn't be returning. Contrary to popular belief, dragons were sentient creatures and were very intelligent.

Ruby wasn't cheering at all now. Emerald and Yang were glaring at Bagman and the crowd.

Viktor Krum decided to attack the Chinese Fireball.

It started when the dragon chose to attack Krum the second she saw him. She wasn't taking any chances with her eggs. Krum was forced to dodge. When he got behind the rocks, he began to return fire. The spells were red and purple, but none were a Stunner. All of the spells were high, so the dragon crouched down a little.

One carefully aimed spell hit her eye.

The result was predictable. She roared and thrashed. She stumbled as panic and anger set in. In her pain, she accidentally crushed half of her eggs.

Qrow sighed. He was very sure these were an endangered species. Then again, if they didn't treat other wizards with respect, what care would they have for these creatures? They were only protecting their eggs, an instinct that was absent in the magical world.

It spoke a lot about his opinion of the magical world that he had far more sympathy for the dragon than he did for the human.

In her pain, the dragon forgot that there was a short drop behind the nest. While it was only a few feet, the half blind and mostly panicked animal collapsed into the small gap. That could not have been planned as there was no way Krum could see the drop, but he was quick to take advantage of it. With the dragon temporarily out of the way, he grabbed the egg and beat a hasty retreat.

 _That ends the Champions that signed up for this circus. Now for the two that were forced into this._

Qrow had learned from Harry's tale that he had bipolar luck. He had ridiculously bad luck to get into his dangerous situations and had great luck in getting out of them. As such, he wasn't surprised to find out he had drawn the Hungarian Horntail, which was considered the most dangerous breed by wizards. That wasn't really saying much from these guys.

Harry looked nervous, but determined.

The Hungarian Horntail also attacked as soon as she saw the human. Harry took cover a lot quicker than Krum did and no spells were fired at the dragon. She huffed and crouched a little, still very alert and focused.

 _What is he up to?_

There was something tiny next to a rock a few feet away from the one Harry was hiding behind. Qrow wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't moving. The dragon ignored it.

Then the object began to grow. At the same time, Qrow heard something in the air just above and behind him. A quick glance showed it was Harry's broomstick.

The tiny object was a dragon that was growing rapidly. As it got bigger, details became more obvious. It was growing into a perfect Hungarian Horntail. The nesting mother was certainly focused on it now.

Once they were an identical size, the second one roared.

The mother responded with a roar of her own. She left the nest and charged at this new dragon.

Once she could no longer see him, Harry shot out of his hiding place and headed straight for the nest. He stayed low and made no sound.

However, again, Bagman decided to screw it up.

"There goes Potter after the egg!"

As it happened, dragons could either understand English or figured out that something had changed that she hadn't noticed. She spun around and roared. She immediately headed back to the nest, too concerned about her eggs to risk a flame breath.

Fortunately, she hadn't dealt with the other dragon yet. It wasn't happy about being ignored and pounced on the mother before she could get too far.

A life saver for Harry.

He didn't stop. He merely slowed slightly as he snagged the egg and shot back the way he came. He only dismounted literally right before he headed back into the tent.

 _Smart lad._

A huge crunch and the new dragon collapsed. It shrunk back to the tiny size and became inert. With a snarl, the mother stomped on it and flew back to her nest. Seeing no sign of an intruder, she inspected her eggs. With nothing amiss, she settled and glared around the arena again.

So far, all the dragons knew that the egg that was taken wasn't theirs and relaxed as soon as the danger was gone. These were no mere beasts.

Harry's strategy could not have been thought up on the fly. He needed time to research how intelligent a dragon was, practice the spells he had used and what would be a good distraction. Still, he must have only gotten that figurine just before the Task. That was some quick thinking.

Harry had been the only one that had had a few boos mixed in with the huge number of cheers before he started. Now he nearly got a standing ovation.

Qrow was certainly looking forward to how they responded to what happened next.

Ruby leaned forward as the Peruvian Vipertooth was corralled in, frowning. "They're the wrong colour." That wasn't easy to hear, but he caught it.

Yang peered down. "The dragon's the wrong colour?"

"No. The eggs are the wrong colour. In fact, the book said they nested during the spring, not fall."

Emerald closed her eyes, clearly thinking. "True. They must not be her eggs. Maybe the reserve didn't have another nesting mother?"

That would explain why they picked such a dangerous breed. Wizards thought the Hungarian Horntail was the most dangerous breed, but that was mostly due to temperament and that they were easily found in their known habitat. To compete with nesting mothers, they needed something more deadly than most.

Personally, Qrow thought the Peruvian Vipertooth was just as dangerous. Venom and speed was always a dangerous combination. Throw in the fact that it was very fast and that 15 feet was nothing to scoff at and you had a very vicious killing machine. This one's favourite food also happened to be human. The only good fact was that their numbers were very few.

There were jeers and boos for Mercury. His eyes went from the dragon to the crowd. He smirked. The crowd fell silent.

The dragon tilted her head. One claw tapped on the rock.

Mercury's attention went back to the dragon. "Sorry. It's nothing personal. I can tell you now I don't taste very good."

The dragon tilted her head down. She huffed, almost in amusement. She bared her fangs and hissed, arching her back to show her size.

Mercury beckoned and stepped forward.

The dragon snapped her jaws. In a flash, she spread her wings and headed up.

It was then that the magicals noticed the creature had snapped the chain as if it was made of paper. The screaming started, but they all stood there.

 _That's a no to the Unbreakable Charm then._

"Shut up!"

It was almost funny how fast the crowd turned silent again, staring at Mercury as if he was insane. He hadn't taken his eyes of the Vipertooth, which was now circling the arena in the sky. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Thank you."

Glynda and Oz had had their weapons ready, but seeing Mercury still so calm stopped them from taking action. The Beacon students also relaxed, though Ruby kept a good grip on Crescent Rose.

"Sorry for spoiling your fun, but they were giving me a headache."

The dragon stopped and flicked her tail. She dived down.

Mercury crouched, keeping his knees bent. His eyes never left the dragon. The smile never left his face. He was excited.

 _Why is that emblem cloth wrapped like that? And why is it moving? That's not the wind._

Once the dragon was a good height and distance away, Mercury jumped nearly ten feet up. The dragon changed course to respond. Mercury adapted, spinning to alter his trajectory. The tooth grazed his vambrace, but that was all. Pushing off her snout, Mercury again changed his angle…

…and landed on the dragon's back.

Startled, it took a moment for the Vipertooth to respond. She spun into a barrel roll to force her unwanted passenger off.

She never completed the manoeuver.

Mercury had stood up, slammed his foot against her neck and fired a Dust round point blank.

The dragon dropped and crashed to the ground. The spine had obviously snapped and there was a huge hole in her neck. She was very clearly dead.

Silence reigned.

Mercury hopped off, landing easily. He studied the remains of the dragon. Something passed across his face, but it was too fast for most to catch. The Remnant group saw it though; they had been trained to see things like that and had been watching him closely.

Regret.

Then Mercury's eyes went to his family.

Qrow nodded to him. Ruby did the same. She had known about this strategy and had disliked it. All of them, including Mercury, had. The problem was that lack of good options.

 ** _"Dragons…" Ruby muttered. It was just after the Quidditch match. "It's just crazy."_**

 ** _"Agreed," Mercury nodded. "My problem is how to handle it. I don't want to kill it, but even if that isn't the Task, I may not have a choice."_**

 ** _"Let's look at your options," Qrow started. He and the three kids were settled in the Room. "Your main advantage is that you're an Aura Wielder. Can you use that?"_**

 ** _"A winged fox isn't going to be considered a threat," Mercury noted. "If I choose to use it as a distraction, there's a greater chance of it still choosing to go after me. The kitten doesn't move unless I order it to and is even less of a threat."_**

 ** _"That leaves your dragon." Emerald sighed. "The biggest problem there is that you can't control it."_**

 ** _"Which is a huge problem. With how I feel about magicals, I am very sure it would go for them. I don't think I can get it to go after the dragon without a lot of focus. Even then, it might still go after them. I respect dragons too much. That leaves the Dust rounds."_**

 ** _Ruby curled up. "It's not fair. You could get killed. This is a dragon. If it's the poisonous one and you get bitten…They probably don't have the antidote. Even if they do, it might not work on you."_**

 ** _"Then I won't get bitten."_**

 ** _Emerald nodded. "Whatever you decide to do Mercury, just don't put yourself in harm's way. None of us want the dragon dead, but don't do anything stupid. Kill it if you have to."_**

 ** _Ruby hesitated, then nodded in agreement. "Keep yourself safe. Nothing is more important than that."_**

All of them had hoped Mercury wouldn't get the Horntail or the Vipertooth. Those would be the ones he had to kill to survive and was also more likely to get injured. They knew how intelligent these animals were and had great respect for their power. The only consolation for killing the majestic animal was that Mercury hadn't orphaned a generation.

Mercury patted the snout. The head remained intact. He kicked the egg up into his hand. Then he spoke again.

"Everyone here saw me kill this dragon. I'm claiming it as mine as the law states. Anyone who tries to get in the way can fight against the one hired to harvest the creature. Just keep in mind: Gringotts hired them on my behalf so…Well, good luck. You're not getting it."

A man hopped down from the stands and approached Mercury. The two whispered something to each other. Mercury walked out of the arena, leaving the other man there.

Qrow wasn't surprised at this announcement, although it looked like the officials were. Were they the only ones that actually knew the rules to this farce?

Mercury had said if he was forced to kill the dragon, he would get it harvested and the money put in an account that all friendly Remnant inhabitants had access to. He had solved their monetary problems with that.

It had been an interesting trip to Gringotts, but the bank would get a 35% share for finding a harvester that wouldn't be intimidated by anyone and would be mostly responsible for selling the components. Still, 65% was a very good fortune. Mercury told them to place 20% of each component in a vault under stasis charms for Remnant's use, which they agreed to. Oddly enough, the down payment was Mercury and Qrow both taking an inheritance test. The results were amusing (non-existent). It was as if they popped out of nowhere. They had shrugged off most questions, but had responded to the others honestly. When they left, Qrow got the impression the goblins liked Mercury.

The stadium was still silent as Qrow, Ruby and Emerald headed to the medical tent.

* * *

Harry was sitting on a bed, trying to convince Madam Pomfrey he was fine and that the dragon didn't come anywhere near him. She wasn't having it and was determined to find something wrong with him.

The Champions hadn't been so lucky. Krum wasn't too bad and only had a few cuts from the rocks. Fleur and Cedric looked pretty badly burned.

Apparently Harry hadn't been the only victim of Bagman's commentary. Fleur had told of what happened to her after Harry quizzed her on why she was so angry. He was in full agreement; Bagman could have gotten them killed.

Harry's original plan had been to use Prongs as a distraction. While Professor Ozpin agreed that flying was a good strategy, he commented that animals that have wings and fly naturally have the instincts to go along with it. No matter how good Harry was, they would be superior. If Harry picked that route, he needed a distraction to keep the dragon's attention away. Sirius suggested Prongs, with a stag either being part of their food source (Welsh Green) or could draw other predators to its area. When he had drawn the Horntail figurine that moved, the distraction changed.

All things considered, things had gone well for Harry, especially as he had drawn the most dangerous breed.

 _Just my luck._

Bagman could be heard from the medical tent. Harry wasn't allowed to leave until Madam Pomfrey was convinced and that would only happen when hell froze over.

Mercury was introduced, with only boos and jeers. Then there were screams, which stopped abruptly. Only silence followed. Despite time passing, there was no commentary.

Cedric frowned as he sat up. "What's going on?" There was no answer. "Do you think something's happened?"

Krum spoke, his tone emotionless. "Maybe his magic wasn't strong enough."

Harry bit his lip. These were nesting mother dragons, one of the most deadly creatures on the planet. That no one so far had been killed was a miracle. Was Krum right? Had something happened?

A few minutes passed.

Then they heard voices outside the medical tent. One of them was Mercury's. He sounded fine. He was talking to Ruby and Emerald. Qrow too. He didn't sound happy, but he didn't sound angry either. He must not be hurt or he would have entered the tent.

Harry was curious about how he tackled his dragon.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't happy that her final patient didn't seem to be interested in medical care. "Honestly. Young men these days. I would have thought his father would press the issue."

That was a good point. Either Qrow didn't care Mercury was injured, which Harry doubted from what he'd seen, or Mercury wasn't injured at all.

Harry slipped out of the tent. The four of them were a short distance away. They all seemed relaxed and Mercury looked unhurt. The girls were smiling, with Ruby playing with the little Vipertooth model. Apparently they were keeping it.

"Harry." Mercury called him over.

Harry joined them. "Hi. So what'd you do?"

"Killed it. More to the point, I claimed the carcass, which is worth a fortune. You can do the same for the Basilisk."

Mercury killed it? How? Then the rest of the words registered. "I don't need any more money."

Ruby glanced up. The Vipertooth was sitting in her hand, quite docile. "I think you should claim it, but maybe you could do something with the money even if you don't want it. Maybe the victims?"

Harry actually considered that. It hadn't occurred to him at the time, but nothing had been done for the victims of the Basilisk. Colin had spent most of his First Year Petrified and everyone seemed to have forgotten about it.

"That's not a bad idea." How much of a Basilisk would be left after one and a half years? "I'll think on it."

Hermione showed up then. She pulled Harry into a crushing hug. "Thank God you're safe."

"Hermione…Need to…breathe…" The dragon might not have killed him but that suffocating hug might. Fortunately, she did let up a little.

"You were brilliant Harry!"

Harry didn't get a chance to respond. The judges showed up along with Bagman and Mr Crouch. They didn't look happy.

Mercury rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Here we go."

Professor Dumbledore spoke first. "Mr Black, was it necessary to kill the beast? You were only supposed to get past it."

"Unfortunately, yeah I did. There was no way for me to grab the egg safely with a Peruvian Vipertooth in the way. I am curious though. How did you intend to make sure she didn't just fly off when she snapped her chain? There were no eggs for her to defend."

Harry frowned. He looked at Hermione, who mouthed 'later'.

"There was no danger to anyone Mr Black."

"I'm sure," Mercury drawled in response, obviously believing there had been. "Out of curiosity, was the stadium fireproof?"

Karkaroff glared at him. "Do you think us stupid boy?"

"Yes."

That struck them dumb. Harry was impressed.

Ruby nudged him. "Be nice."

Mercury folded his arms. "Fine. I won't list the reasons why; everyone already knows them. What do you want?"

Mr Crouch was so furious, it took him a few moments to speak. "We have come to inform you that you won't be receiving any profits from the dragon."

Mercury didn't looked bothered and responded calmly, though both Emerald's and Ruby's expressions turned to anger. "You can't do that."

"It's done. The Ministry has claimed it for the dragon reserve it lived on."

A sigh. Mercury shook his head. "No, I mean you really can't do that. The magical law states that 'any carcass of a class XXXXX beast belongs to the one or ones directly responsible for its death'. In 1712, the Ministry of a country I will not name attempted to claim a manticore killed by one of the Champions. The fallout was so big it is written in the Tri-Wizard rules. It's more than a little worrying you don't know that."

Mr Crouch gritted his teeth. "That law does not apply for animals that live on reserves."

"It doesn't apply for animals that are _killed_ on reserves. What you get there is prosecution. However, this dragon wasn't killed on the reserve; it was killed at a school. It's mine. There's nothing you can do about it."

None of them looked happy with that.

Harry frowned. He would have given the money to the dragon reserve anyway, but their insistence was angering him. Mercury had been forced into this tournament and now they were trying to steal from him. It wasn't as if any of them had any money either. It wasn't a way Harry wanted to get a fortune, but it was earned.

Qrow scoffed. This brought their attention on him.

Again Dumbledore spoke first. "Do you agree with your son's actions?"

"Well, I certainly approve of him putting his life first. Killing the dragon was regrettable, but due to the breed he was stuck with, unfortunately unavoidable. We have a lot more respect for the dragon than we do for you."

Harry was torn between horror and laughter. The three Beacon students didn't try to hide their shared glee.

The Vipertooth in Ruby's hand snapped its jaws playfully.

Karkaroff opened his mouth.

Qrow continued. "You people helped put him in this tournament, you picked nesting mother dragons, you tried to steal from him, the dragon got loose which none of you had a plan for and you in particular wanted him to face a dragon without weapons. They followed you into the Forbidden Forest to find out about the dragons and your Champion knew, which would suggest you told him. Same with Beauxbatons. With the exception of Harry and Mercury, all of the Champions received help from their teachers. Are we done here?"

They stared at him.

"Perfect." Qrow glanced at Harry. "You done here?"

Harry jumped. "Err…Yeah."

"Want to come with?"

"…Yeah."

No question really. There was no doubt that Gryffindor would be having a party in the Common Room, but save for Hermione and Neville (who Harry intended to find), none of them had helped him. Most had either shunned or ignored him. Harry really wasn't interested in the hero worship he knew he would get there.

He also didn't want to talk to Ron.

The first thing Harry was going to do was write a letter to Sirius, giving every detail of his performance. Even a convict on the run had helped him more than the teachers and nearly all of his classmates. Not for the first time, Harry wished his godfather was a free man. Sirius was no monster.

With Nora and Yang in the group and the Room of Requirement available, Harry was very sure that there would be a party to attend, though he didn't know how good it would be. It would definitely be interesting. They were the ones that had stood by him and helped him to survive. As Hermione and Neville had gotten the same treatment as Harry, he hoped they would go to the Remnant meeting rather than the Gryffindor party.

Harry should be upset he was drifting away from his own school and classmates, but he found he wasn't. He was disappointed, but nothing would change for the ones that he knew were his friends (Quidditch team, oddly enough) and they would understand. The others had no right to complain.

Hogwarts was his home.

Harry was just beginning to hate the majority of the other inhabitants.

* * *

 **AN: Ironically enough, the hardest part to write was the Quidditch match. I probably won't be detailing those matches unless they are plot or character development relevant. Sorry for those who want it.**

 **The Tri Wizard Tournament is proving to be a lot of fun to write. As for the officials with the dragon, they genuinely forgot it was his. They weren't expecting one of the dragons to be killed and certainly not in the way it was. They were thinking about the dragon reserve.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	7. Anger and Doubt

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

The results of the First Task were interesting.

For whatever reason, the hostilities towards the two 'cheaters' ceased almost immediately. The Gryffindors were the most secluded; many of them had wanted a party afterwards, but the Twins had refused to get the supplies when they saw Harry walk off with the new group and they made sure no one said an angry word to him. They were among the few that weren't surprised that Harry didn't return to his dorm at all that night.

Harry was willing to sit the first detention for that, but not for the whole week as Snape had originally stated. Professor McGonagall overruled him, stating it a House business and Harry only had to sit the one.

Most of the students didn't know how to react to Harry. On one hand, he had defeated a dragon and was currently in first place of the tournament. On the other, he had no interest in interacting with the majority of the student body. One Hufflepuff had been angry Harry had shown no loyalty to his House. Harry had given a rather simple reply.

"I'm showing them the same loyalty they showed me."

The main reason that the students didn't know how to react to Harry was because he was changing. Before, during his Second Year, he had been very forgiving to the student body. Now, he wasn't and remembered who had stayed quiet, who had stood by him and who had bullied him. He was very cold and dismissive to the last group.

There was complete agreement on how to react to Mercury: avoid like the plague. It was one thing to have a knife that could scar a student, but those boots could kill a dragon in one shot. He was agile, dangerous and was not afraid to retaliate with violence with no concern for political connections.

Mercury preferred being left alone. He had gotten the impression these children only responded to fear and Mercury had very quickly become someone to fear. Unlike Malfoy, Mercury kept to himself and didn't interact with people unless they instigated it, which only a handful of magicals would. That was an arrangement all parties were happy with.

There was a little confusion on what to do with the little Peruvian Vipertooth. Mercury had initially given it to Ruby as a gift, but he had thought at the time it was a Conjured or Transfigured model that wouldn't last too long. Even so, Qrow told them to have Hagrid to take a look at it to be sure there wouldn't be any problems.

There was a problem.

It wasn't a Conjured or Transfigured model. The creature had originally hatched from an egg that had been magically duplicated from a true egg. The reason for this was so the handlers could study the species' behaviour (on a smaller scale) and attempt to make them less vicious. The reserve had ones that were older, so gave the newly hatched ones to act as models, not expecting to get them back. The little Hungarian Horntail had also hatched from a duplicated egg and had imprinted on Harry when he drew it from the bag. That was the reason he had attacked the mother dragon rather than Harry or just flying off. The Peruvian Vipertooth mini had imprinted on Mercury, but seemed to like his girlfriends' company just as much.

Learning that they had a genuine animal, despite how its egg was created, Qrow sent a message to Charlie Weasley. Charlie sent back a very detailed response. The dragon's behaviour would mimic her true species, with the exception that she had no reproductive instinct and did not require food to survive as there was no digestive system. She did have a sense of taste and would enjoy being fed if she liked the taste, but the food would Vanish in her 'stomach'. As she had imprinted on Mercury, it was very dangerous for a stranger to take her until she had matured past the infant stage, which was accelerated. That meant Mercury could keep her for at least six months and she would never get any bigger in her entire lifetime. She was still venomous, but not as potent.

Mercury wanted to keep her. It took very little discussion to allow it. However, Professor Ozpin did insist that Madam Pomfrey needed to have the anti-venom. Mercury pouted, but took the little creature anyway. She was under the impression that it was a Transfigured or Conjured model that someone had irresponsibly made poisonous. No one corrected her.

The carcass of the Peruvian Vipertooth had been worth more than they originally thought. Rather than the small fortune they were expecting, Mercury received a large fortune in which none of them would ever have to work again. He very willingly shared it with all of them.

The Basilisk had been worth even more. Harry had contacted Gringotts for a harvester and had needed to accompany them to the Chamber of Secrets. He had chosen to keep 20% of the components under a stasis charm in his vault, including quite a few sets of armour, and kept nothing else. All the rest of the profits had gone to the victims, including Ginny, with some of it going to the school and some for Ron, as he had been there and had confronted his worst fears for it. The one condition Harry had was that the parts did not end up in Lucius Malfoy's hands at all. For a price, the goblins agreed. With their connections, Malfoy Snr or any of his associates wouldn't even be able to find them on the black market. There was no way Harry was going to let him profit from the monster he willingly unleashed on the school if he could help it.

One set of Basilisk armour Harry had started to wear under his robes. While the armour did naturally grow with the owner to an extent, there would be a time when it would no longer fit him without thinning at the joints. With the amount of trouble that usually found him in Hogwarts, he thought it was a good idea and with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he needed every advantage to survive.

Professor Dumbledore had approached Harry after the deal had been made but before the harvesting had occurred and pointed out Harry could save money if Professor Snape harvested the Basilisk. Harry responded that Snape was the one who taught Malfoy Jnr how to Summon snakes at the Duelling Club for the sole reason of humiliating or harming Harry and was best mates with the one who was responsible for setting the Basilisk loose. Professor Dumbledore did not mention it again.

That one move ended all hostility towards Harry from inside Hogwarts. Even the Daily Prophet had changed its mind from Skeeter's articles. Those continued, even with a few quotes from Slytherins despite not being allowed on Hogwarts grounds outside of official reporting on specific days. Either no one noticed the illegality or they didn't care. The student body reaction to this was mixed.

Harry was mostly left alone, even with all the publicity.

* * *

Ruby, Blake and Emerald were wandering the corridors. They were looking for one student in particular, but someone they had never met before. While it had been Daphne Greengrass that mentioned her, she had told them that the school didn't like her, even if they had stopped stealing from her.

They had not been happy to hear that.

It had taken an hour to find her and it was by pure coincidence. They had already decided if they ran into Harry, they would ask him for help. Instead, they accidentally came across her in a random corridor on the second floor not far from the Grand Staircase.

"Hello Beacon." Her smile was genuine.

"Hi," Ruby chimed. "Are you Luna?"

"I am. You are Ruby Rose-Xiao Long."

Ruby blinked. She had never heard herself called that before, but it wasn't wrong. For the first time, Ruby wondered whether Dad was sad she hadn't taken his name. He had been proud of Ruby when she said she wanted to honour her mother and she didn't remember him being upset about it. He was always smiling.

She missed him.

Emerald wrapped an arm around her. [I miss him too.]

Luna tilted her head, curiosity on her features. "You two are…interesting. Mercury too."

Blake frowned. "Interesting in what way?"

"I'm not sure." Then her grin returned. "So Ruby Rose-Xiao Long, Emerald Sustrai-Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna, why were you looking for me?"

Emerald Sustrai-Xiao Long. Ruby could sense Emerald's surprise, but she didn't seem to mind the name.

"We were told your father was the owner and writer of the Quibbler?" Blake asked. Luna nodded cheerfully. "What kind of publication is it?"

"Every kind." Luna's smile grew. "Do you want to report the Quartet-Wizard and One Muggle Tournament? Daddy wouldn't mind. He would be happy to publish it in the next issue."

Ruby sniggered at the name. It wasn't as catchy as the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but it was more accurate. Then she realised what Luna had said. "Well…We weren't wondering on us writing it…"

 _She knows we're muggles?_

"You were wondering if we did," Luna nodded absentmindedly. "We tend to leave that to the Daily Prophet. Daddy doesn't like to write those articles, but he would like to publish them. He doesn't like the Ministry. You don't like the Ministry either."

As much as she didn't want to make judgements on something she had never had any personal contact with, Ruby didn't like the Ministry. Harry's experiences with the Ministry weren't great. Ruby's experiences were the officials that were responsible for the Tri-Wizard Tournament and that had become an insane circus.

She wasn't going to say anything on Skeeter. Mercury may not care about the lies she was spreading, but Ruby did. He had never given an interview, wasn't even there for the 'Weighing of the Wands' and yet there was one in the 'newspaper' after it and after the First Task. That would be bad enough if it wasn't for the fact the Ministry were behind her and not the truth.

No. Ruby was slowly beginning to hate the Ministry of Magic.

"What does your dad like to write about?" Emerald asked.

"Magical animals. Often unknown or undiscovered ones. A lot of people don't believe in them, like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Blake sighed and shook her head. "There are a lot of animals that are undiscovered. Just because no one's found one doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Luna nodded. "Exactly. Daddy loves magizoology. He would like to include articles for things that occur at Hogwarts, but he doesn't want to write it himself. He was wondering if I wanted to as a student, but I want to go with magizoology with Daddy."

Ruby did wonder why the events Harry told them hadn't been reported in the newspaper. Uncle Qrow had stated that if that got out, Dumbledore would have been thrown out of the school within the hour. The Minister would probably be sacked too for allowing it to happen.

That did explain why the article on the Basilisk merely skimmed over how much damage she had done in Hogwarts. Everyone had focused on the Harry Potter and Salazar Slytherin aspect and seemed to have overlooked the 'threatening the school' part.

Luna was still smiling. "If you're interested, you can just send a message or your article to Daddy. Just put 'Quibbler's Office' on the front. Or ask Winky to deliver it. She likes to work."

Ruby didn't think anyone actually knew that the trio had hired Winky. Blake was thoughtful, but it was obvious she didn't see the significance of Winky. It wasn't exactly a secret, but Winky had been the only free elf except for Dobby and the others were happy working for Hogwarts.

"…We'll think about it," Blake stated. She did seem very interested.

"Speaking of magical animals," Emerald was frowning a little, "do you know which creatures pull the carriages?"

Luna's eyes sparkled. "They're called Thestrals. They're very gentle animals, but have a poor reputation."

"Is that because only a few people can see them?"

The girl's smile faded a little when she nodded. "They can only be seen by people who have seen death. Many people think they are bad omens, especially when they don't know."

People who have seen death.

Mercury had killed his father. Emerald had watched him do it. As experienced as they were, it wasn't a shock that the Remnant adults could see them. Blake couldn't. She didn't agree with the White Fang these days and got out before that, if the rumours were true about the White Fang actions. Yang couldn't and neither could Ruby. But what about Ren, Nora and Zephyr? What had happened to them? Why could they see them?

Emerald hugged her closer.

Ruby snuggled into her a little, but spoke to Luna. "Can you see them?" Her question was asked softly.

Luna nodded. "They are beautiful creatures in their own way. The ones in the Forest are very friendly. Maybe I'll introduce them to you someday."

"Maybe," Emerald replied. Reading her aura told Ruby she was sad, but she wasn't showing it. Ruby still wrapped an arm around her waist.

Ruby wondered if Marcus Black wasn't the first person Emerald saw die.

* * *

The first weekend after the First Task was a Hogsmeade weekend.

Harry and Hermione wandered around the village. It was brushed off by many as mindless exploring. In reality, they were checking that no one was following them or paying them too much attention. Today was very risky.

Sirius had sent a letter to Harry to tell him he was in the country and that he wanted to see him during the next Hogsmeade visit. Harry had been torn between anger and terror when he read that, but he chose to trust in Sirius' reassurances that he was safe. If he wasn't, the Prophet would be all over it.

No one paid them the slightest bit of attention.

Padfoot was sitting outside one of the buildings close to the Hog's Head. When he saw them, his tail wagged and he stood up. He nudged Harry's free hand and Harry laughed as he scratched the dog behind the ears. After a moment, the dog pulled away and headed towards the mountains. Naturally, Harry and Hermione followed, quickly and eventually finding themselves in a cave.

Padfoot changed back into Sirius.

"Seems you two have had a busy year."

"Don't we always?" Harry responded. It did come out a little bitterer than he expected.

Sirius gave him an interested look there. "I read the story about the Basilisk. How bad was it? They left that part out."

"Four muggleborns were Petrified, including Hermione. Nearly Headless Nick was Petrified too. They were restored at the end of the year and Ginny Weasley was possessed by Voldemort for most of it." Harry hadn't been happy to see most of the danger had been ignored by the Prophet, but he was relieved there was no mention of Ginny.

"Possessed by Voldemort?" Sirius frowned. "How did he get into the school?"

"Through a diary Lucius Malfoy slipped to Ginny. The year before, he possessed the DADA teacher."

"And now the tournament," Sirius mused. "Voldemort was definitely behind that. The only question is how. If your dreams are right, he's not moving from his little hideaway. So he must have an agent inside the school. The issue is that there are too many suspects, including students from the other schools. He went travelling before and probably after he was defeated."

Harry thought back. "Dumbledore did say he was in Albania two years ago."

"The rat helped bring him back here." Sirius pointed to a pile of newspapers as he pulled a chicken leg out of one of the bags the pair had brought along. "There have been quite a few fishy things recently and I don't think they're just a coincidence."

Hermione frowned and picked up one of them. "Barty Crouch?"

"He's the most obvious." His features darkened. "He used to be Head of the DMLE. Workaholic would be the kindest thing to call him, but I can't remember a day that he was ever off work back then. The timing for his illness is a bit convenient. He fought hard for this tournament."

"I guessed." Harry remembered the night of the Champion Selection. "He didn't exactly look ill when my name came out. He just looked tired and stressed and with two extra Champions…" Harry shrugged. Then something occurred to him. "If he was Head of the DMLE back then, was he the one who sent you to Azkaban without a trial?"

"Yep. That said, I was one of the lucky ones. Some were Kissed without trial. He wasn't one of Voldemort's supporters, quite the opposite in fact, but he was ruthless…and ambitious. He wanted to be Minister for Magic and was sure to get it after Voldemort fell when something happened. During the war, he authorised more brutal tactics and even the Unforgivables. He may have had honest reasons at the beginning, I wouldn't know, but he quickly became as brutal as the Death Eaters. He had his supporters and with every Death Eater that was killed rather than captured, well it was one less to worry about. No one had sympathy for the Death Eaters unless you were one. It was a very dark time."

One sentence in that bothered Harry more than the rest. "What happened then? Why didn't he get the job?"

Sirius' smile was sinister. "Soon after Voldemort fell, his son was caught with a bunch of people trying to bring him back to power."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "His son?"

"Yep. Must have been quite a shock for old Barty. Here he was fighting Death Eaters and he raised one."

"…Was his son a Death Eater? Couldn't he merely have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Winky?"

"No idea. The others were definitely Death Eaters, I'm sure of that. Who's Winky?"

Harry immediately noted the angry gleam in Hermione's eyes and chose not to interrupt.

"Winky was his house elf that he fired for no reason whatsoever. I bet he's feeling her absence now. Serves him right."

Sirius looked interested. "Did he give a reason for firing her?"

"Some crock about the Dark Mark during the Quidditch Cup Final. First he puts in her in the top box when she's afraid of heights, doesn't even show up for the match and then dismisses her for being near the wand that cast the Dark Mark even though she couldn't possibly have been responsible. Despicable-"

"What did he do once he saw his elf had the wand? And whose wand was it?"

"Mine," Harry answered and thought back. "He went to look in some nearby bushes. I guess he didn't find anything because he came back furious. Fired Winky on the spot."

Sirius threw the final chicken bone to Buckbeak, who happily crunched it, and stood up to pace. "That sounds like the Crouch I know, but something's not right. If it was just one no show then so what? But this many, especially for him, doesn't make sense. Then there's Bertha Jorkins' disappearance too."

Harry and Hermione stared. "Who?"

"She's does something or other for the Ministry, can't remember the details off the top of my head. Anyway, she went missing several months ago and no one's found her. They claim she's forgetful and irresponsible; my memory half agrees. I remember her having an excellent memory for gossip. She could be considered a liability in the Ministry and so they wouldn't look very hard for her but…"

Hermione frowned. "That doesn't really sound so important."

"On its own, it's not. With everything else though, it's probably not a coincidence."

Harry remembered something. He grabbed the Marauder's Map out of his pocket and said the password. "For someone who's missing a lot of work, he spends a lot of time in Hogwarts." Harry pointed to the DADA Professor's Office. "He's there now."

Sirius stopped. He held his hand out for the Map and Harry handed it over. "You say he's there often?"

Come to think of it… "Whenever I look. It's not often, but he's always there. I saw him in Snape's Office a few weeks ago."

"Snape huh?" Sirius was quiet for a moment. "There were rumours about Snape being a Death Eater. Never went anywhere and he was never accused but he hung around with those that became Death Eaters in school. Greasy git." Harry grinned as Sirius thought some more. "That said, Dumbledore must have some information we don't if he allowed him to teach."

"Badly," Harry muttered. "No matter how much anyone complains, it never goes anywhere." Hang on… "Snape was a Death Eater?"

"He might have been. He might not. I never found out one way or the other. Not liking a git that happens to know loads of Dark Arts by his First Year isn't enough to consider them a Death Eater. If Dumbledore's protecting him, then there must be a reason for it." Sirius shrugged and began to look at other areas of the Map. "You said in one of your letters that three people don't appear on this?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Mercury, Emerald and Amber."

"Those are three of the 'odd' muggleborns. Mercury's certainly not related to me."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, Harry with a pleading expression. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"They're not muggleborns. You have to see them to truly believe it, but they come from a different world, like Earth and not like Earth. Rather than Earth, they call it Remnant."

Sirius glanced up and studied Harry's face carefully. After a moment, he nodded. "I see. So the way he killed the dragon wasn't Dark Magic."

Hermione let out a sigh. "It was their technology. Like Harry said, you have to see it to believe it."

Sirius believed that impossible tale. Just like that. "That doesn't explain why a few don't appear on the Map. It's linked to the Hogwarts wards so it can't be fooled…The simple explanation is that the wards don't register them. But why only three?" After a moment's quiet, he handed the Map back. "I'll think on it. You mention them quite often in your letters."

Harry shrugged.

Hermione gave him a sympathetic glance. "Nearly all of the student body turned on Harry after his name came out. They didn't and have been very helpful with the tournament itself as well."

"…And Ron?"

"Quickly became one of the worst." Hermione sighed. Harry felt that sting too but kept quiet, listening to his friend. "I don't think he truly thought Harry put his name in, but his jealousy overrode his rational mind. Then Harry began to spend more time with the Remnant group and the feeling got even worse. By the time he was willing to admit he knew about the dragons for weeks, it was the night before. He even got kicked off the Quidditch team and he loves the sport. I just can't justify it."

Sirius' face remained blank, but he was deep in thought. "I remember the article stated that the Weasley family was going to visit a brother. How many brothers does he have?"

"Five. And one younger sister."

Sirius let out a thoughtful hum. "I remember Gideon and Fabian Prewitt. They were Molly's brothers and died in the war. I wonder how well Molly coped."

Harry was now very confused. "What does Mrs Weasley have to do with this?"

"Harry, don't you think it odd that a family has six boys and the girl happens to be the youngest? Especially with Ron and Ginny born so close together. Maybe they were trying for a girl when Ron was born. They didn't mind, but when Ginny was born, she got most of the attention. Ron got overlooked a lot."

Hermione bit her lip. "Nearly all his stuff was hand-me-downs when we met him. Still is in fact. He only got his own wand when his brother's broke."

"He didn't have his own wand?" Sirius was very surprised at that.

"So what?" Harry asked. He got the feeling he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"Harry, what is the most important equipment for a wizard?"

"The…wand…" Now he was beginning to see.

"I don't doubt that they love their kid. But when they choose to use prize money for it rather than hard earned and also use that money to visit a brother, you can see how he feels he isn't loved as much. Do you know if Ginny got her own wand from the start?"

"I…don't know. Probably. She got a new dress for the Yule Ball when she might not even be going while Ron's dress robes are…unique in a bad way."

Sirius shook his head. "Parents can have their favourites, but they don't usually show it. Being the only girl in a family of boys does give her reason to have new things, but not a wand or books or a new dress when another would be humiliated. I'm not saying they are bad parents, but they are playing favourites even if they don't know it. Ron thinks he's the unfavourite. He found a place in school and that immaturity led to a bad decision that he didn't know how to fix. Then public opinion got to him."

Harry knew that he would have forgiven Ron if he did this last year or the year before. Lashing out at him like he had after the ceremony was something he wouldn't have normally done. Ron had no idea how to react to that and had gone off on his own.

 _The Quidditch practice…McLaggen said that he was only on the team because he was friends with the Boy-Who-Lived and had two brothers on the team. In hindsight, I was the most difficult target to hit. Maybe he wanted to prove himself a little while making me look bad._

"It doesn't excuse his behaviour," Hermione retorted. "Especially with the dragons."

"No, it doesn't," Sirius agreed. "That said, I don't think he realised how dangerous the tournament was until he saw them in action. That's why he thought you would be fine Harry."

"He had no intention of telling Mercury," Harry responded. "He always believed they were crazy, even when they described the monsters they were trained to kill. Ruby said some of them were bigger than the dragons."

"It's not an excuse Harry. Friendship is a two way street. But jealousy is known as the green-eyed _monster_ for a reason."

"I'm not becoming friends with him again," Harry responded angrily. Ron had siblings that loved him; still had parents; had a home to go back to every summer. He had no right to complain. "He has money now and good friends with Dean and Seamus. If he's willing to get thrown off the Quidditch team, which is what he has wanted ever since I first knew him, then I don't know him and don't want to." Harry had given him the money because he had earned it for facing Aragog with him. "He's changed too much."

"Some would say the same about you," Hermione muttered softly.

"I have a tournament to survive. I can't afford to sail through like I was. And most of them never knew me. I'm the Heir of Slytherin, remember? I'm the one who cost them 150 points in First Year. I'm the one who cheated to get into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Why should I give a damn about what they think?"

"Language Harry." The response was automatic and there was no bite in it. Retelling their three years at Hogwarts had made Hermione realise as well how bad their experiences had really been at school. The teachers were one thing. The students were a horse of a much worse colour.

Harry swallowed. He had been thinking for a while, but he did he ask?

"Sirius…If I wanted to leave the Wizarding World…how would I do it?"

Sirius was quiet for a long while. "For starters, you would have to be very sure that's what you want. It won't be easy. No one is going to like the Boy-Who-Lived leaving the Wizarding World. You would be in for one hell of a fight."

"…Let's say I was."

Sirius sighed. "Okay, if you drop out now, you lose your magic because of the tournament. Legally, after you pass your OWLs, you can do whatever you like as long as you obey the Statute of Secrecy. They're not going to care about that with you, but I wouldn't recommend leaving until then. The Ministry can choose to put you under," he scoffed, "'protection' for your own good."

Protection. Minister Fudge's idea of protection was Azkaban.

"So I would have to wait until I was seventeen to be sure they couldn't legally kidnap me?"

"Sixteen. And your age would be irrelevant. They would kidnap you anyway." Hermione was furious. Before she could speak, Sirius continued. "The tournament, ironically enough, gives you the best out. If you lose your magic, they have to expel you from Hogwarts. The Ministry won't be as interested in a Squib. That said, the public would be hanging every member of the Ministry for allowing it to happen."

Harry scoffed.

Sirius finally looked him in the eye. "The question you need to answer first is very important Harry. Are you willing to give up on magic or the magical society? Put a lot of thought into it Harry. This isn't a decision to be made rashly."

On the face of it, the answer was obvious. But was it a fight he was willing to make? Once he started, Harry couldn't back out.

* * *

"Professor Dumbledore, I have a question for you and your answer will decide whether or not you come to harm."

Two weeks after the First Task and they had had little luck in deciphering the screeching inside the egg. However, when Emerald opened it again a very short time ago, the little Peruvian Vipertooth (which Mercury had named Talaria) had been in the room for the first time. She had nudged Mercury and led them to the Black Lake. Opening it under the water had given them the clue.

Tempers had been very high since.

While Mercury and Qrow had gone to the Room of Requirement to blow off steam, Professor Ozpin had headed straight for the Headmaster's Office.

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "I cannot give out details-"

"The Second Task involves the Champions being underwater in the Black Lake for an hour and also involves mermaids. Does it or does it not involve live hostages?"

"They will-"

"My students will not be involved at all."

"They will be in no danger."

"You cannot guarantee that. The Black Lake is huge. If something went wrong, then we have no way of interfering. Mercury is trapped in this tournament. He is the only one from Beacon that is going in the Black Lake."

"The poem-"

"Uses the pronoun 'it'. That does not refer to a person. The poem also claims that after an hour, it is 'not coming back'. A venomous and swift dragon already got loose in the First Task. This Task has a much greater possibility for unseen problems and we will not be able to interfere. You are free to put your students at risk. You will not put mine at risk."

"Each school-"

"My school did not agree to participate in this tournament. Mercury's participation does not allow you to endanger my other students for the sake of this circus. You cannot guarantee their safety. They will not be involved at all."

Professor Dumbledore rubbed his temples. "Mercury cares about his girlfriends most."

"Put either of them down there and there will be a very literal bloodbath. We will not let you take them or put any of the others down there. We will retaliate the way they wanted to after Mercury's name first came out. Are you willing to fight this for a poem that you fully intend to ignore anyway?"

Silence.

"…What do you suggest?"

"Put one of your students down there as you feel that is acceptable. Mercury will rescue the one that he hates the least or the one that doesn't belong to the other Champions. I am not putting my students at risk."

Mercury was trapped in this tournament. If he didn't compete, he could die. Whether he reached the hostages or not was not the main concern. Merely finding a way for him to survive an hour underwater was. Mercury's survival was important, not his position in the circus.

"I will discuss-"

"Don't give me that Dumbledore. Mercury killed a dragon in one hit. Do you want that turned on you, especially after you deliberately put his girlfriends in mortal danger? He will not care for restraint then. Nor will Yang or Qrow. None of my students would sit back and allow kidnapping, especially if it is apparently legal. Their weapons are just dangerous as Mercury's. Your magic works very poorly on us. You would have many deaths before you took even one of us down."

They could not put Emerald at the bottom of the lake at all. Their magic did not work on her at all and she would happily kill in self-defence, especially with how self-righteous these people were proving to be. That was a secret they were determined to keep though. All the students would fight to protect each other and it would only be after the blood has been spilt that it would even occur to them what they had done. Mercury and Emerald probably wouldn't care.

Professor Ozpin did not want that. Murder or even justified homicide was a heavy price. For someone who saw himself as a pawn on a chessboard, Mercury was willing to pay it for a good enough reason and his restraint was mainly because he could be taken away from his Gems, not due to morals. If it meant keeping his family safe, both Mercury and Qrow were willing to pay it.

Dumbledore looked horrified, yet a little sad too. "Are your students that familiar with death?"

"No, they're not. As I said, your magic works very poorly on us. They know that. Whatever spells you want to use to ensure their safety would break very quickly. You would _condemning them to death_ and I wouldn't even know about it until it was too late. I'm the one in charge of their safety; that was the agreement we had. If you went over my head, I can't guarantee your safety from them. They will see it as an attack and fight fire with fire. If I cannot count on discussing this like rational humans, I will be fighting alongside them. You claimed that the Wizarding World is magnificent. These actions equate to tyranny. Your magic is wonderful Dumbledore. It is about time you starting taking responsibility for it _and_ _all its possibilities_."

In the corner of his eye, Professor Ozpin saw Talaria on the windowsill. The threat from Mercury was very clear: 'if Dumbledore doesn't agree to change the plan, I'll kill him'. The thought was very understandable.

If Dumbledore still chose to undergo his current course after getting the facts explained to him, Professor Ozpin would handle it himself. There was no need for there to be blood on his students' hands. It would have been his failure to keep them safe.

Albus Dumbledore was the Chief Warlock, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump. If he chose tyranny, then there would be war.

The Great War across worlds.

* * *

The Yule Ball.

Harry had not been happy to hear about that. It wasn't just that he couldn't dance; it was that he had no interest in humiliating himself in front of the school for no other reason than entertaining the masses.

The Beacon students had no interest in going unless they were invited by someone they genuinely didn't mind spending time with. Rather than join the circus in the Great Hall, they were going to have a dance in the Room of Requirement. While Mercury was the main one that had been targeted by Hogwarts, the others had been treated coldly as well and weren't interested in causing tension on what should be a good time.

They had said Harry and his friends would be welcomed with more than a polite hello. The party after the First Task had been great.

Harry sighed as he wandered the halls alone. He hadn't asked anyone and didn't really intend to. He remembered the short conversation he had had with Hermione immediately after the announcement two days after the First Task.

 ** _"Hermione, if I was going to the Ball, I would ask you to go with me as a friend."_**

 ** _Hermione smiled at that. Then she frowned. "What do you mean 'if'?"_**

 ** _"I'm not sure I'm going. If I am going, I'll go stag. Even if I go, I don't think I'll be good company."_**

 ** _"That's not what I meant Harry. Why don't you want to go?"_**

 ** _Harry scoffed. "Why would I want to go?" He sighed and shook his head. "To be honest, I'm not sure at all and I don't want to waste time doing something I know I'm going to hate."_**

 ** _"You're not making sense Harry. What are you unsure about?"_**

 ** _Could he tell her? She would probably freak out, but she would listen. "I'm not sure I'm coming back to Hogwarts next year."_**

Hermione hadn't freaked out. She had listened to his arguments calmly, then responded logically with agreements and disagreements. She did not like the idea and it was clear she wanted to talk him out of it, but she did admit his points were very good ones. She had then urged him to talk to someone else about it: someone else he could trust.

When they went to see Sirius, Harry had asked him.

In the carriage on the way back though, Hermione had asked him something else. Something that he had immediately dismissed at the time, but Sirius' explanation and thoughts brought back to the front of his mind.

 ** _"It might be easier to walk away from the Wizarding World, but do you think it's possible to fix it?"_**

Harry's initial thought had been 'no'. However, the thought had stayed. When Sirius explained how difficult it would be to leave the Wizarding World, he had said the public would hang everyone in the Ministry for letting it happen. Since then, that seed of doubt had been growing in his mind.

The Boy-Who-Lived.

Snape had always accused him of using his fame to get what he wanted. Beacon had pointed out that it was impossible to have happened the way everyone thought it did. But since when did facts stop them from gossiping?

 _But could I do it? Could I use the Boy-Who-Lived to help change the Wizarding World, rather than just attract enemies?_

Those thoughts had plagued him. Sirius was right in that he had to be committed if he was going to leave and he didn't want to be left with any regrets. That was why his decision was taking so long.

 _That doesn't take into account Voldemort either._

That was another question. Would Voldemort stop searching for him if he left? Past experiences said 'no'. It was a key reason why Harry knew if he was going to leave, he needed to keep his magic. That meant he had to at least sit his OWLs. That was only one more year.

 _But would I live to see the end of it?_

Nearly dying was a skill Harry was perfecting. Maybe next time it wouldn't be 'nearly'.

The main problem was that Harry did not want to save the Wizarding World. What had this society ever done for him? They had made it very clear they hated him. It wasn't that he had to do anything; the purebloods were dying out. In a few generations, there would be none left. What did he owe them other than a lifetime of pain? Not one had checked on him when living at the Dursleys, even though they were happy to appear and disappear before he got a proper look at them.

 _Back then they treated me as a good luck charm. Now I'm an illness to avoid at all costs. Would it kill them to make up their minds?_

Probably.

His fist hit a nearby wall. Naturally, Ruby had told him the riddle from the egg after they had calmed down enough to be near a magical. Quite frankly, Harry agreed with them and spent quite a bit of time with Mercury and Qrow, who were still destroying things in the Room (Harry's personal favourite were the mannequins that were modelled after the judges). Neville had offered a solution quickly, so Harry just had to learn how to swim. Nora had confirmed they had got a swimming pool out of the Room before and all of Beacon were willing to teach him. None had judged him or made fun of him.

 _'What can we do to top stealing from a nesting mother dragon? I know, let's send them to rescue hostages in a freezing cold lake in February where so many things could go wrong that will take about an hour.' I doubt they're going to get the hostage's permission before sticking them down there either. I'm fairly sure that's called kidnapping, but what do they care about a little thing called human rights?_

Why should he care what happens to this society?

 _But you do. You will let them tell the world._

Blake had approached Harry earlier in the week and told them of an idea they had. Seeing as Skeeter should not be called a journalist, they had been given permission by a magazine called the Quibbler to send them articles to publish. They wanted to clear the air about the tournament at the moment, but had asked Harry if they could use some of his experiences, yet nothing that could be linked back to him. Harry could have said 'maybe'. He could have said 'let me see it first'. Instead, he said 'go ahead'.

Maybe lynching most of the Ministry would be helpful.

Maybe threatening to leave would motivate the Minister to do his job.

Maybe he could help those from Remnant find their way back home where they belonged.

Maybe he needed to think on this more.

* * *

All of the students were in the Room. Yang and Nora were trying to batter mannequins without breaking them (with little success). Ruby and Zephyr were brewing potions in a nearby corner. Ren and Mercury were at a table reading one topic while Emerald and Blake researched something else next to them.

"Here." Ren pointed at a page and pushed the book over.

Mercury began reading.

The main problem Mercury had was that he couldn't breathe underwater. Spells were out because he couldn't perform them. Neville had suggested gillyweed. He knew the effects very well and how it affected the human body (unlike most magicals) and that was the possible problem. Did Mercury's aura affect him on a cellular level? Qrow said it _could_ have when he was in the infirmary, which meant he needed to learn how to control that ability first. That did assume it was an ability and not a fluke from the circumstances.

The very large fortune had gone to use straight away. Rather than use the school's ingredients, they had bought their own. It hadn't even made a dent. Ozpin and Amber were looking at accommodation outside the school for the summer, much to Mercury's relief. After all the problems they were having with Dumbledore, he did not want to rely on him for anything.

If Qrow hadn't dragged him to the Room that day, he would have happily killed Dumbledore and every person involved in this farce of a circus. That said, Qrow had been just as furious. Ozpin had been pretty livid as well. Mercury was genuinely surprised the organisers, but especially Dumbledore as he knew they had aura and not magic, had merely assumed they would be okay with it.

That may be why Yang was struggling not to destroy the mannequins.

Mercury had learned to direct his anger into more useful areas when he was quite young. Qrow had not dragged him to the Room to quell his anger; he had done it to direct it away from Dumbledore. Mercury had not cared about politics and had wanted to prevent the danger. Qrow had agreed with the sentiment but not his desired actions.

Maybe it would have been a bad idea to kill a man who many consider to be infallible.

It would be a great way to test whether or not he was completely immune to their magic.

With the attempted kidnapping and murder avoided before it started, Mercury could now focus on the most difficult aspect of the Task. With spells out and gillyweed unknown until he tried it (which would almost certainly require a lot of practice assuming it worked), there were very few options left.

Mercury and Ren had put a lot of effort into researching Ancient Runes. They had found that it was possible to infuse Dust rather than magic and that it even worked for them. The experiment had been quite small, merely a force field specific to fire, but the only fire that had worked against it was Amber's Maiden power. Ren hadn't been there when that part was tested. More to the point, using aura, they could switch it on and off. That was something they hadn't been expecting.

The experiment had been conducted using wood, mostly because Ruby had seen runes on Harry's Firebolt and also because wood was a very flammable and readily available material. Ren and Mercury had intended to test Dust infused runes with metal next.

When they learned what the Second Task was, they widened their range. Ancient Runes were something Mercury could use practically. However, was it possible to find a way to use them to breathe underwater for an hour? It was worth looking into.

After another hour, when it was approaching curfew, Qrow approached Mercury and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on Silvertongue. We're going for a walk."

 _Why?_

Not knowing what he did this time, Mercury followed.

There weren't any students around. The lit torches in the darkness made for a rather haunted atmosphere and yet there were no ghosts in sight either. 'Depressing' was the word Mercury would use. Recently, the presence of students hadn't changed that, except maybe raising the status to include 'annoying'.

Talaria was trying to bite his rerebrace again. She wasn't even able to leave a scratch or any venom, so he wasn't worried. She was currently at the infant stage and they liked to bite things. He fished in his pocket and gave her a flat stone to bite. She accepted it happily. He was originally going to let Ruby name her, but he changed his mind when hearing her suggestion: 'Coppera'. He got why due the scale colour, but that wasn't sticking. It made him wonder who named Zwei.

"Qrow, where are we going?" Mercury hadn't said much during the walk and was curious. Still, Qrow hadn't given a reason for this late night wander and half of the Gryffindors becoming canaries had absolutely nothing to do with him.

The nine Slytherins that were affected had been due to him and Emerald, but Qrow had no way of knowing that. He was very sure Blake was behind the four Ravenclaws. He didn't want to know what they did to annoy her.

"A Grimm Studies class." Qrow was leading him right to the edge of the water.

Grimm studies? They hadn't seen a Grimm since they got here. Confused but intrigued, Mercury joined him. Why have a Grimm Studies class with only him?

"If you had a Grimm, we could have released it into the Suicide School ages ago."

Qrow snorted. "Somehow, I don't think your teachers would be very impressed at your attempts to cull the underage magical population."

That wasn't quite true. "Only the very stupid ones." They were pests, so the imagery was quite accurate.

"I don't think that difference will make a difference to their disapproval."

"Shame." Mercury was honestly curious as to how their magic would affect Grimm. "So why are we out here?"

"Create your Guardian Form in the lake."

Mercury frowned. The question 'why' was still running through his head, but he did as ordered. Maybe Qrow wanted to see whether or not it was under control. His past record wasn't great. In fact, it was atrocious.

The dragon may be a light silver, but it didn't glow in the dark. There was no worry of someone looking out of a window and seeing it, even from the ship on the lake. It turned towards the school and bared its teeth, but it didn't get out of the water. It was as large as it had been at Mountain Glenn: absolutely enormous.

Talaria let out quiet, high pitch whine and tried to make herself as small as possible, partially hiding behind Mercury's collar.

Now that Mercury studied it closer, something was off.

"No wings?" It had definitely had wings before. In fact, those looked like… "Are those fins?"

Qrow sighed. "Your Guardian Form was never a dragon Silvertongue. That's a Grimm."

 _A Grimm? The dragon…was a Grimm…?_

The huge creature turned its head to look at him. Mercury met its gaze.

His Guardian Form was a Grimm. The Simple and Guardian Forms were what reflected his entire personality and essence. The winged fox was easy to understand and was rather predictable in a way. But a Grimm? Grimm were bloodthirsty monsters that thrive on chaos.

In hindsight and under scrutiny, Mercury could see the resemblance. It made him smile. A Grimm as a Guardian.

 _No wonder I first created it when I did._

"Did you always know it was a Grimm?" Had Qrow known he could create a bloodthirsty monster from the very beginning?

"Yeah. There's a picture of the original article in one of the upper year books at Beacon, though one hasn't been seen for quite a few years."

"Why did you never tell me before?" It wasn't an accusing tone. Mercury was merely curious.

"Heh…Well the reasons at the time are obvious." Mercury would agree with that. Qrow's gaze went from the teen to the Grimm. "Then we wound up here and you ended up in a deadly circus. It didn't matter that it was a Grimm or a dragon as you can't control it yet. It doesn't matter whether or not it's a Grimm when it would attack the crowd rather than the Vipertooth. You're not the kind to rely on what can be called a 'wildcard' at best when there are other options. I didn't tell you because I don't think it matters and was only going to tell you after you could control it merely so you knew what was 'factually correct'."

Mercury thought that over. Qrow wasn't wrong. Mercury spent a lot of free time working with Ren on Ancient Runes and their experiments. He had read up on many potions and was pretty good at brewing them, but he didn't enjoy it the way Ruby did. He read Blake's notes on spells solely for recognising the damage that the opponent wanted to do to him so he knew how violently he could counter. At the moment, his research was practical and all his free time was spent with his Gems.

They had had a lot on their minds without adding the implication that a great amount of Mercury could be likened to a Grimm. The only difference between an aura Grimm and an aura dragon that mattered at the moment was that a Grimm would be more difficult to control. Mercury didn't care about that.

 _Qrow didn't care._

"You're telling me now because this Grimm is suited to being underwater." The fins were a testament to that.

"Yep. Must have been quite a shock to the first explorers that came across it. It normally lives in the sea, but has attacked airships before. Most of the shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea are the result of this thing."

"Doesn't change the fact I can't control it." Mercury had never heard of the kind of Grimm that lived in the sea. Why was his Guardian Form that? Why not the gorilla like Grimm from Initiation? "Maybe I can get a different aura animal for underwater."

Qrow scoffed. "I wasn't aware you liked swimming so much that you were happy to go in a large northern lake in winter."

Mercury groaned. "Whoever designed these Tasks needs to be checked for insanity potions."

"I doubt many at their Ministry of Morons would last one day there if that wasn't a job requirement."

"That's a pity." Then a thought occurred to him. "How are the spectators supposed to watch this Task? Are there going to be a bunch of people with cameras down there?"

"Probably not," Qrow chuckled. "I'm guessing the spectators are going to be very bored."

"Serves them right."

The Grimm turned its head back to the school. It shot out of the water with incredible speed, but Mercury instantly dismissed it. He had not ordered it to go to the school and there was no doubt what would have happened had it reached. However, Ozpin was insistent Dumbledore should get a chance to make an _informed_ decision.

If someone still came for his Gems, Mercury was going to kill them and screw the consequences. They had been warned. Let's see how these guys fight against someone that is immune to their weapons, along with the fact they had no idea how to adapt.

* * *

The last time Harry had been in the Forbidden Forest at night, he was almost eaten by Aragog. He was steering well clear of that area.

The only reason Harry was in the Forest at all was to avoid the Yule Ball. Professor McGonagall had not been happy to hear Harry wasn't attending. She had argued with him and wasn't backing down. After ten minutes, Harry had enough and said that short of the Imperius Curse, which didn't work on him, nothing would get him to go and good luck finding him. Professor Dumbledore tried his luck then, but had no more success than Professor McGonagall. He tried to play on school spirit, but Harry pointed out he had killed a Basilisk and faced a dragon for this school and the student body hadn't cared.

If they were looking for him now, Harry didn't care. He had told them they would be wasting their time. It wasn't his problem if they didn't listen.

Harry had not gone too deep into the Forest and he stuck to the trail. If his mind was going to wander, he couldn't allow his feet to.

He chuckled as the Ford Anglia came to mind. Was that still roaming in these trees?

This must be the clearing in which the dragons were kept. It was quite close to the school. Harry was beginning to wonder how many students knew about the dragons beforehand. Probably not many, but it could have been a few. All of the Beacon students had admitted to going into the Forest out of sheer curiosity. That trio had followed Karkaroff in, but what had made Karkaroff curious in the first place? He had probably heard them.

The Second Task involved hostages, so the Headmasters and Headmistress must know about it.

 _Headmaster Ozpin hadn't._

Harry had no doubt Professor Ozpin hadn't known about the hostage part until they had cracked the puzzle and heard the poem. Why? If they wanted to put Ruby or Emerald at the bottom of the lake, surely they would have consulted with the one in charge of their safety. For some reason, they hadn't.

Was it because they are thought to be muggleborns with no political power? Surely Mercury's knifing of Malfoy would tell them that they would fight back violently.

 _Legal kidnapping._

Sirius had said that the Ministry wouldn't allow him to leave the Wizarding World. Harry couldn't have survived a Killing Curse, but that hadn't stopped them from dubbing him the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. However, Hermione had pointed out that Harry had killed the Basilisk, not because he was the Boy-Who-Lived, but because he wanted to save his best friend's sister.

Still, the newspaper had then made it about the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry kept coming back to the same question: was he willing to use his influence from a lie to change things that didn't want to be changed?

 _Why should I? They're not my responsibility. I'm only fourteen._

Harry really didn't want to give up on magic. He didn't want to give up on his friends. But he wasn't willing to stay in Hogwarts until Seventh Year. Magic was wonderful and Hogwarts was great, but he just couldn't put up with this student body for that long, especially after seeing how another school operated. How come an of age warrior school was better disciplined than immature teenagers with magic?

A clatter of hooves caught his attention. Harry turned his head to the side and saw two centaurs. They had originally had their bows drawn, but had lowered them at the sight of him.

"Foal. You should not be in the Forest."

It took a moment for Harry to reply. He tried to remember what Hagrid had told him. All he could remember about that night was Voldemort and Firenze. They hadn't been happy with Firenze that night, so Harry didn't want to bring it up. He didn't recognise these two at all.

"Sorry. Am I trespassing?" Maybe the reason the Forest was forbidden was because it was centaur territory. He had always assumed it was because it was dangerous but that didn't fit with Hogwarts' general lack of health and safety.

"The Forest has many dangers foal. Why are you here?"

Harry wondered. Why had he picked the Forest? He could have just found a room in Hogwarts and with the Map, he could be sure no one would find him.

"I needed to clear my head." Though he wasn't any closer to finding his answers. "I have a lot on my mind."

"Perhaps you should watch the stars foal. Mercury is bright tonight and Mars is growing closer. It would be wise to return to the castle."

 _Huh? Mercury's survival smart but what has that…Hang on. Mercury the planet. What did that mean? I remember doing this in Divination. What did that one mean?_

Mars was the planet Harry knew. War. The centaurs had mentioned that Mars was bright when the unicorns were being killed. Harry wasn't in the mood for another life-threatening situation. He got in enough trouble without going looking for it.

"Understood." He didn't want to fight for his life tonight. "Thank you."

"Do not stray from your path." The centaurs vanished deeper into the trees.

With a sigh, Harry turned back the way he came. Seemed he wasn't going to get any peace in the Forbidden Forest, so he had to find a classroom or something to hide in until past midnight. He had his Invisibility Cloak in his pocket, so that was also an option. That was how he intended to get back into the Tower.

He had no intention to returning to the Tower so soon though.

 _A random classroom it is._

However, as Harry passed the lake, he saw someone moving near the shore. Judging by the movement, they were skipping stones. Curious, Harry threw the Cloak on and moved closer. He hadn't expected someone else to be out on their own.

 _Who is that?_

She was wearing Ravenclaw robes, but Harry didn't recognise her, not even as someone in his year. Was she in a different year? Possibly Third or less.

"Hello Harry Potter."

Harry jumped. He took note of the fabric around him before being sure she couldn't see him. Yet she knew he was here. How? She merely skipped another rock without looking at him though, so he could walk away if he wanted to.

Harry took the Cloak off. "How did you know I was here?"

"I heard you approach."

"But how did you know it was me?" The girl just smiled. She skipped another rock. "Okay. You know who I am. What's your name?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood."

"Pleasure to meet you Luna."

Luna waved her wand towards the water. " _Accio_." One by one, rocks began popping out of the lake and landing at their feet. She picked one up and put it in his palm. "This was my best throw."

To Harry, a lot of these stones looked the same. He had never skipped stones before, so he wasn't expecting much. Four skips.

"A very good first attempt. Mine only went two." She smiled at Harry's confusion when she slipped a few into her pocket. "Talaria likes flatter rocks."

Talaria. "Who?"

"The little Peruvian Vipertooth that imprinted on Mercury. It was a pity what happened to the Hungarian Horntail."

That was an actual dragon?! Hang on… "The Horntail model was an actual dragon?" And he had-

"Yes. It's okay Harry. You didn't know."

That didn't change the fact Harry killed it. It had imprinted on him and he had killed it. He was no better than them.

"Harry, you had no reason to think it was an animal."

That didn't help. "Were all of the models animals?"

"No. Just yours and Mercury's and he didn't know it at the time. The ones in charge didn't know it either and wouldn't have cared if they did know. You care. That makes you better than them."

"They didn't throw it into the arena to face a nesting mother."

 _They threw a human in that could adapt._

"They would have destroyed him afterwards anyway." Luna offered Harry another stone. This one was a lot more circular, but Harry didn't care. He took it and threw it as hard as he could. "Middle of the lake. I think I can get my next one farther."

She did.

Harry may be able to throw his next five stones farther each time, but Luna always managed to throw hers exactly where she said she would. Harry was very bad at that skill. He was reminded a little of de-gnoming at the Burrow.

He ignored the pang in his chest.

"Didn't fancy the Ball then?" Harry asked. His next stone was close to a pyramid shape and only went a few feet.

"No. This Ball is not for fun."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Zephyr had called them 'performing monkeys, with no offence meant to monkeys'. "Nothing about this tournament is fun."

Luna smiled. "The sad thing is that the original ones were."

"They didn't have five Champions."

"Back then, they would have been welcomed, not scorned. Nargle population has been on the rise since though."

Harry had no idea what a Nargle was. "What about the Ball Remnant are having?"

"That's for fun."

"Fancy a dance there?"

"I would like that very much."

Hermione had gone to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, who had originally liked her because she wasn't a fan girl that couldn't be in the same room as him without squealing. Harry sympathised a lot with that and told her to have fun. He wasn't going to be happy if Krum upset her and he was going to let Krum know it.

Luna had wanted to get changed first, saying it wouldn't take long and that it was appropriate. With a shrug, Harry snuck into Gryffindor Tower to get changed himself. As formal wear went, his dress robes were okay. They weren't as bad as Ron's old ones anyway. He had wanted to wear them merely so they weren't a wasted purchase before he changed his mind.

Harry wasn't finding answers tonight.

Still, it was Christmas.

The door to the Room of Requirement appeared when Harry paced. Curious as to what he would find, Harry pushed the door open.

 _A…ballroom…_

It was a decorated ballroom and a fairly big one too. There was a side table for refreshments, circular tables to the side for resting and even themed decorations around. The only thing missing was a raised platform, but there was no need for one: there weren't any live performances.

"Oh. Doilies. Interesting." Luna liked it at least.

The adults were in the corner, smiling and chatting. Seven students were dancing on the dancefloor. Yang moved away for a few moments to place a record next to the recorder before returning. The two boys weren't wearing dress robes, so they probably hadn't gotten their outfits at Hogsmeade. Every girl was stunning.

More importantly: all of them were having a good time.

Blake finished her dance with Ren with a bow and went to greet them. "Hey guys."

"Hi," Harry replied. "Somewhere in your world?"

"This is a smaller version of the Beacon ballroom. We had a dance a little while ago and this was what we came up with, except for the fog machines. The Room couldn't duplicate that."

Their dance had had fog machines?

"Zephyr?"

Blake smiled. "Fleur invited him to the Yule Ball. He agreed to go." Harry remembered how Ron acted around her and worried a little for Zephyr. That expression must have shown because Blake chuckled. "The reason Fleur asked him is because he's immune to her allure. She's half Veela; she can't help it."

Looks like Harry had misjudged both the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Champions. He hadn't really talked to them at all though.

 _'Little boy'…Wonder what she thought when hearing about the Basilisk._

"Thank you for the invitation." Harry followed Blake as she re-joined the group, leading Luna. It only occurred to him now he didn't really know how to dance, but he found he didn't care.

Harry did feel a little guilty at his rebellious behaviour. He hardened his heart a little. He was thinking about leaving the Wizarding World. Why should he care if he didn't play the performing monkey?

After three dances, Harry had had enough. Luna smiled at him and dropped him off at one of the circular tables with Mercury (despite him not telling her what he was feeling) and began to dance with Nora. Ren was by the drinks.

"Enjoying yourself?" Mercury asked.

"Err…Dances aren't my thing."

"Tell me about it. Still, it could be worse. We could be downstairs."

"Yeah." Harry turned his chair a little so he could watch the dancers. "Why do you think your name came out in the first place?"

"A prank. Whoever put your name in took off the three school limit and mine was able to come out."

Harry snorted. "Whoever did that is probably regretting it."

Mercury smirked. "Hopefully."

With a sigh, Harry switched seats so he was directly next to Mercury. Mercury merely raised an eyebrow. "Can you keep a secret Mercury?"

"I can. Doesn't mean I will."

Emerald with Yang. Ruby with Blake. Nora with Luna.

"If I was to say I was going to leave the Wizarding World, what would your reaction be?"

"That you've got a working brain in your head." Mercury glanced at him. "At some point, ask Qrow about the muggleborns and half-bloods that graduate Hogwarts. Voldemort is the least of this society's problems."

Ren joined the group. The song changed to a much quicker beat than a waltz; something that a DJ might pick. It was less of dancing with partners and more of large group synchronised fun.

"You wouldn't think me a coward?"

Mercury's eyes returned to the dancefloor. "No. I would call you a survivor. There's a big difference between bravery and stupidity. Sometimes it takes more courage to leave than stay."

Harry's eyes went to the dancefloor as well. He mulled the words over.

How many of his actions had been due to stupidity rather than bravery? If he was going to stay alive in Hogwarts at least until his OWLs, he needed to be more careful.

The Sorting Hat had wanted to put Harry in Slytherin. He had not wanted to be in the same House as Malfoy, but his hatred of Slytherin only came later. But how many Slytherins had he interacted with except for Malfoy and his goons? Almost none.

If Harry wanted to live his life, he needed to start balancing his Gryffindor side with his Slytherin side.

* * *

 **AN: I will admit, it didn't occur to me to use the Basilisk for armour, so thank you for that suggestion. In comparison to dragonhide armour, I think that Basilisk would be just as good if not slightly better, but was able to grow a bit with the person until the difference was too large so rather than buy several dragonhide armour, Harry would only need two or three Basilisk armour.**

 **It occurred to me when reading OOTP that Moody found someone using goblin connections. It wouldn't surprise me that they had links to the black market.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	8. Moving Forward

**AN: In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

25th December

'BOY-WHO-LIVED REJECTS YULE BALL

Written by Rita Skeeter

The Yule Ball has been an important event for the Tri-Wizard Tournament since it was founded. However, this apparently wasn't important enough for the Boy-Who-Lived. Despite knowing the Champions were to open the Ball, he decided to skip the entire event and hide somewhere. It would appear the House of the Brave is the residence of a coward.

Mr Potter was not available for comment, but the reason for his skipping may be due to a childish tantrum. His best friend Hermione Granger, plain and ambitious muggleborn, was seen on the arm of star Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum all night. Perhaps he chose to spend the night holed up somewhere in the castle to avoid the humiliation of his best friend dating his enemy, even inviting her over for the holidays.'

/

25th December

'YULE WISHES FROM THE YULE BALL

Written by Apollo Cassandra

It is tradition that a Yule Ball is held on Christmas Eve for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Last night was no exception.

The Champions of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang greatly honoured their school and all the students there greatly honoured the spirit of cooperation and sportsmanship between the schools. I saw many students with dates from other schools and the performance of the Weird Sister's only added to the festive atmosphere.

It is not an event I will ever forget.

I spoke to the other two competitors leading up to the Yule Ball and both had decided very early on not to attend. The main reason was 'prior engagement' and, given that the Ball was hosted on Christmas Eve, it is not a surprise some people already had plans beforehand. All I can say is that they missed out on a magical evening and hope theirs was just as eventful.'

* * *

"First Task: steal an egg from a nesting mother dragon. Second Task: jump into a huge northern lake in February." Emerald chuckled. "Seems that having magic comes with the huge drawback of lack of common sense."

"Along with any sense of self-preservation," Mercury agreed with a grin.

Harry could see why they were in a good mood. He could see all eight Beacon students (especially Emerald and Ruby) and the four adults that were responsible for them. None of them were at the bottom of the Black Lake.

Both Hermione and Neville were.

Several stands had been built on top of the Black Lake, not too far from the shore. At the moment, Harry was up on the second floor of the Champion stands with the Remnant group, along with Luna and Ginny. While Ginny had never exactly stood up for him, she had been one of the few that had even said 'hello' to him when even the Gryffindors actively hated him. He had to lower his standards and, by their standards, Ginny had been very brave. He was disappointed with her, but not angry. That and she had even had an argument with Ron shortly after the two stopped talking to each other about his jealousy and pig-headedness. Harry would have loved to have seen that screaming match.

Ruby frowned. "How are we supposed to see what's going on down there?"

Mercury pulled her into a hug. "You can't."

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"Then they have plausible deniability. If they don't know something is wrong, then they don't have to interfere. They just don't want to know."

Harry scowled. That was a good way to sum up the majority of the adults in the Wizarding World.

 _And he's right. What is the plan in case something went wrong?_

Ruby mumbled something. Emerald wrapped an arm around her as well and rubbed her back gently. Mercury let out a low chuckle.

"Are you ready for this Harry?" Ginny asked with a worried frown.

"As ready as I'm going to be." He was far more ready for this than he was for the First Task, probably because he had known for a while exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

Bagman's amplified voice cut through the air. A relief for it to finally start and worry for the Task itself.

"Champions report to the starting line!"

Harry took a deep breath. He could do this. Murmurs of 'good luck Harry' followed him down from everyone, lifting his spirits a little. He could do this.

In the corner of his eye, he caught Qrow pat Mercury's shoulder as he passed by. He had initially been a little jealous of Mercury as he had been adopted by someone who obviously loved him. When he asked Yang about her very confusing family, she did explain it to him: a father, an uncle (not by blood for Ruby) and two different mothers with Mercury and Emerald being adopted less than a year before. All Yang had asked is that he didn't ask about their lives before they were adopted. Harry had promised and his jealousy had faded. He remembered Professor Ozpin saying Mercury's biological father died, but he didn't realise it had been so recently.

It did explain why Mercury, despite being older, hadn't gotten into as much trouble as Malfoy for their actions: he had not attended any sort of school before Beacon, which he had only been at for a few months. Harry didn't think he would have lasted under the Dursleys roof until he was seventeen without some sort of escape. For its many faults, Hogwarts provided that.

At the moment, that was the one good thing about this school.

The other Champions were already waiting for them. Before the First Task, there had been an air of nervousness and worry despite the brave faces. Now, there was nothing but determination. This wasn't a matter of pride. There were hostages down there to rescue. The others might be satisfied no harm would come to them, but Harry wasn't sure. A dragon had already gotten loose.

"Okay Champions, it's time for the Second Task to start! 3…2…1…Begin!"

Almost as one, all five jumped into the Black Lake.

/

Viktor Krum had chosen to Transfigure half of his body into a shark. Save for an Animagus transformation, trying to Transfigure the entire body into an animal often led to the animal instincts being too strong to control. The more complete the transformation, the more powerful the instincts. It was also likely he would need his hands, especially his wand.

The Bulgarian Seeker had wanted to be Champion for the sake of good competition along with an excellent chance to test his skills and be known as more than a sportsman. He was honoured that the Goblet of Fire had chosen him from the many possibilities from Durmstrang.

While he had not been impressed by the organisers, he was impressed with his fellow Champions, including the two that had not been intended.

He had not believed Harry Potter initially. However, when Mercury Black refused to come down and Professor Ozpin began to interrogate the judges, it took little convincing for him. If it was not possible for one to put his name in, the other was most likely telling the truth when he denied the act also. The fact he killed a Basilisk at twelve would cement the fact Harry Potter deserved to be Champion, although Viktor was a little curious as to why it wasn't reported two years ago; that would have made international news. Despite the rumours, it was Viktor's personal observation that suggested he was humble and solitary, not arrogant and attention-seeking.

Viktor Krum had played Cedric Diggory in a game of Quidditch the month before, both acting as captains. The match had been one of the best he had ever played. The main game had been close and was 70-60 to Hufflepuff when Viktor caught the Snitch in a close call between him and Cedric. That Hogwarts Champion had earned his respect that day, as a man and as a sportsman.

There had been very few interactions with Fleur Delacour. He had been impressed with her performance in the First Task as, had the commentator not spoiled it, she most likely would have gotten full marks. That alone deserves more recognition and respect than most gave it. She was strong competition.

Unlike many at Durmstrang, Viktor had no problems with the muggleborns and he had honestly never given muggles any thought. He enjoyed spending time with Hermione and thought the Boy-Who-Lived was very lucky to have a friend like her who didn't see him as such. He was intrigued as to what the essential muggle Mercury Black would do. It may have been his…'technology' that killed the dragon in one go but the way that Hermione described the word, a wand could be seen as technology. There was no denying all of them had skills; Viktor had not forgotten the exhibition match earlier in the year. However, it had been his actions towards Draco Malfoy that made him respect him as a man and his actions against the dragon that made him a strong competitor.

Viktor Krum did not fear losing as long as it was to the better man or woman. While he was sure he would win, he wouldn't mind losing to any of these Champions.

/

Fleur paced on the docks.

She had known that she was greatly disadvantaged underwater. She had gone in as prepared as she could, but the Grindylows had gotten the better of her. She had passed out and had woken up in the stands being watched over by the Headmistress and Madam Pomfrey.

Then she realised they hadn't taken her sister out of the Black Lake despite the fact she could not rescue her.

Fleur had been taken out of the lake within seconds of being defeated in it. That would suggest that the Task was under control. However, Gabrielle was still down there and a dragon had gotten loose in the First Task and they didn't have a plan for that. It was probably luck or curiosity that still made it go for Mercury Black and not fly off to parts unknown. Gabrielle might still be in danger down there.

Madame Maxime assured her that no harm would come to her sister and she would be returned after all the Champions had completed the Task or been pulled out. When she asked that they had made sure to take into account Gabrielle was half Veela, Madame Maxime assured her she had mentioned it and there was no danger to her.

Even so, Fleur worried.

Gabrielle was only eight. Did they even ask her if she wanted to be at the bottom of the Black Lake? Fleur could see the other seven 'odd muggleborns', so their Headmaster hadn't allowed any of them to be used as hostages. Maybe Gabrielle just wanted to be part of the Task and didn't know what they wanted.

Time passed so slowly.

"Fleur? Are you alright?"

Fleur jumped and spun. Zephyr was standing just behind her, looking concerned. He had been a good date to the Yule Ball and hadn't been affected at all by her allure or by the staring of everyone else. She was honestly surprised he had accepted the invitation, especially as none of the others from his school showed up. It had been a very good night and the fact that Zephyr had already been shown as a good fighter and that Mercury's reputation had rubbed off on them a little, none of the jealous others were willing to cause problems.

 ** _"Just as well. Mercury can cause fights anywhere and I don't think Yang's idea of a party would suit these guys. Throw in the fact that many students seem to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease, the only way this night would be successful was if most of them weren't here."_**

"I'm worried for my sister, that's all."

"Ah. She's your hostage?" Fleur nodded in answer. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. England isn't going to want to start a war with another nation, but especially France. They should take greater care with your hostages than their own."

That was a bit of comfort, funnily enough. "Do you have siblings?"

"I did. I don't anymore."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Zephyr waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. It was some time ago. Let's just say I know what it's like to lose family."

"You have my…" What was the English word? "Condolences. But you didn't lose your sister in a game you had no control over."

Zephyr frowned at that and looked at the still water. "That depends on your point of view." He hesitated for a second before shrugging. "Still, I'm very sure you won't lose your sister to this game. If you do, I'll tie them down for you."

Fleur was confused about that first sentence, but he changed topics too quickly for it to be a comfortable one. "If you're so certain nothing will happen, then why are none of Beacon down there?"

He laughed. "Ozpin flipped when he found out about it, especially as they never asked him. He found out the same day Mercury did and only because he heard that stupid poem. Besides, deliberately harming one of his Gems is a death sentence. Everyone at our school knows that and no one is stupid enough to provoke him."

"You make him sound like a menace."

"If you anger him, he will be. Then again, if you anger someone who is trained to kill the monsters we do, then you shouldn't be surprised when they flatten you. It's kind of an unspoken rule, mostly because it's so obvious." Zephyr chuckled. "That is if Yang even leaves any pieces behind for him after she's done with you for hurting them."

Fleur's eyes drifted to the Beacon group. Ruby was leaning on Emerald with Yang on her other side. Ren and Nora always seemed to be together and Blake was on Yang's other side.

"Is it common in your school that a boy dates two girls?"

"No idea. I know it's not common that the girls know and approve of each other. I've been told cheating happens, though I don't know anyone that did. We have only been there less than a year though and theirs is the most stable relationship I've seen. It is a rule in our school that we don't interfere with someone else's relationship until they break up, regardless of what we personally think." Zephyr smirked at her. "What about your school?"

"I avoid the hassle of dating." It was always difficult to tell their motive, after all and Beauxbatons did not have that rule. Zephyr raised an eyebrow to that answer, but said nothing. She glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He raised his hands as a sign of surrender. "Hey, I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." Come to think of it, all three of the boys from Beacon weren't affected by her allure. "You thought it."

Zephyr groaned and rubbed his temples. "Mercury was right. Women are evil."

Fleur narrowed her eyes. Now he had asked for it.

Only much later would it occur to her Zephyr was deliberately baiting her to keep her mostly calm and her worry under control.

/

Harry hated swimming.

Until he figured out the Task, he didn't know how to swim. The Dursleys would probably prefer it if he drowned and he was very sure Dudley, despite his resemblance to a whale, didn't know how to swim either. Harry wasn't sure they did swimming trunks in those sizes.

While Ren and Zephyr had been happy to teach him, he had always had the feeling that they thought less of him for it. At the time his thoughts had been: what fourteen year old doesn't know how to swim?

The answer had been Emerald, apparently. At Harry's confused look when she answered his rhetorical question, she responded that it hadn't been a skill she needed to know. She had only learned when she attended Beacon. In other words, less than a year ago.

Somehow, that gave Harry a much needed push.

Once he had the basics down, Harry practiced with gillyweed. The seconds it required to take effect weren't fun, but they were short. Professor Ozpin had suggested to take only a little gillyweed at first and to work up to the hour so he could get used to the feeling of gills. He was happy he followed that suggestion. One minute had gone up to five minutes which had gone up to ten and so on. He was now very used to webbed feet and gills.

Neville had been ecstatic. He had asked if he could use Harry's experiments on a personal essay for Herbology as there was some debate in its properties. Harry was more than happy to help. Herbology gave Neville a confidence that he had rarely seen and, along with his new wand that was working very well for him, his self-esteem was climbing rapidly.

The Remnant group liked Neville. Some liked his personality and some just liked the fact he was applying the question 'why?' along with trying to understand how things worked instead of 'just because'.

Harry was greatly enjoying the benefits of that mind-set himself. At the moment, he was using a water conjuring charm (normally used to put out fires) to propel himself through the water faster. The warming charm had also been necessary as it was a huge Scottish lake in February.

 _Idiots._

As it happened, Harry was the first to arrive at the hostages.

 _Let's think. The young girl is definitely Fleur's. I don't see a Durmstrang student so Hermione is Krum's. She did have a great time at the Ball. Cho is obviously Cedric's. Neville must be mine. That is…Daphne Greengrass. Why is she Mercury's?_

Harry shrugged. It wasn't his problem. As long as it wasn't his Gems down here, Mercury would probably be willing to save Draco Malfoy as a compromise. He chuckled at that thought.

A quick cutting charm and Neville was free. The merpeople stayed back, watching carefully. They must be overseeing that the hostages were treated properly. Apparently there were safety measures in place. Harry couldn't believe it.

The riddle might just be a riddle, but still. Hogwarts was nothing if not unpredictable. What if something happened? It might cost him first place, but he would regret it if something happened and he wasn't there to help. Besides, what did he care if he didn't win? He had already proved he belonged in the tournament.

As it happened, Mercury was the first to turn up. What confused Harry was the silver shark that he had hitched a ride with. Where had that come from? He also couldn't see how he was breathing. He hadn't gone with gillyweed.

Mercury gave him a salute before casting his gaze over the hostages. For a few strokes, he headed towards Daphne. Then he frowned and stopped. He was closest to Hermione and, for some reason, pressed his fingers against her neck. Was he looking for a pulse? He ignored the merpeople moving closer and headed for Fleur's hostage. He pressed his fingers against her neck. His frown deepened.

 _What is he doing?_

He swam over to Cho and again pressed his fingers against his neck. He rolled his eyes and headed back over to the young girl. To Harry's confusion, Mercury drew the knife and cut through the bonds. For some reason, he was saving her.

The merpeople came closer. The shark dashed just in front of them to halt their progress. Mercury began moving his arms carefully. While he didn't recognise the movements, Harry did recognise the reason.

 _Sign language?_

The merpeople understood it. One of them stared at Mercury, then the girl, then back to Mercury. He nodded. The group backed off.

 _What did he say?_

Not wasting another second, Mercury gripped the girl's arm and began to swim up. The shark vanished completely, as if it was never there.

 _Was Mercury doing that? Is that his power?_

Fleur's hostage was safe. When she came along, she would just have to rescue Daphne. There was still no sign of the other Champions though. A quick check showed there was still fifteen minutes left, so there was no great reason to worry. Harry just had to be patient.

The merpeople watched him with curiosity, but they didn't press him to move on.

/

The girl woke up as soon as she surfaced. As it happened, she couldn't swim.

That didn't really bother Mercury. He had half expected it. A Veela could transform into a sort of bird that breathed fire. Therefore, they probably wouldn't like being in the water. If you didn't intend to go in the water, there was no reason to learn how to swim. As a young girl, she was quite light anyway and people weigh a lot less in the water.

 _Daphne Greengrass huh?_

As hostages that were available to them go, the judges didn't do half bad on that one. Daphne was one of the few that understood you needed to provoke someone into attacking you and so it was easy to have an intelligent conversation with her. Ironically, she had agreed with him dubbing her and Blaise as 'a true Slytherin'. Blaise had outright said if Mercury chose to kill everyone in the school, he wanted to claim 'friendly alliance' as a reason not to be slaughtered. Everyone had had a good chuckle at that.

He flickered his aura across the strap around his neck, switching it off. Now he could breathe above water.

As it happened, the Hogwarts library did have many references to other countries, but not much on how they use magic. Still, for Talaria to recognise Mermish, her species must live around merpeople or at least have a history with them. A few messages between them and a Runes master in Peru, with Winky acting as a messenger, and the final touches to their little project was complete. It only worked underwater and so had to be switched off above water, but it allowed Mercury to breathe normally and the water would be converted to oxygen in his throat as it passed the band. He would breathe in water and it would be oxygen that ended up in his lungs.

That had taken a lot of practice to get used to.

Interestingly, getting the shark aura animal had been remarkably easy.

Ren and Nora easily pulled the girl out of the water, leading her over to Fleur. She must have dropped out somehow. Emerald offered a hand, but he shook his head.

"Probably best to go get my hostage or Harry's in for a very long wait." Seriously, why was he waiting?

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"

"Daphne Greengrass." There was a brief silence as they thought that over. Then Yang started laughing. Mercury rolled his eyes. "At least they didn't put Malfoy down there out of spite. I definitely would have left him."

The last thing he heard was everyone else joining in the laughter. Another push of aura and the collar breather was switched on again.

Harry was still there. Cedric was also there and had just finished untying Cho Chang. Mercury gave a cheery wave before returning to 'his' hostage. The merpeople came close once more. He signed that there was only one left to show up and one couldn't come. They backed off.

The sole reason Mercury even learned sign language was so he could talk to the merpeople. While the design of his legs, which were hidden under long joggers, meant that he didn't have to worry about the pressure underwater, he couldn't use them as weapons. If he fired, he would get water in the chamber and he would need to wait for them to dry out before he could use them. Reasoning with the merpeople meant he could avoid a fight. As much as he enjoyed the violence, he didn't fancy a match underwater with a whole village when he didn't particularly care for the people he was defending. That was just stupid.

In honesty, the only reason he was fetching Daphne was so Harry wouldn't wait forever for someone to show who wasn't coming. This way, the Task was completed faster.

As Mercury headed back up, he could see a freaky shark-human hybrid heading towards the village. That was probably Viktor Krum.

 _A few more minutes and this Task is done._

Daphne could swim. At least he wasn't dragging her along.

Qrow dropped a few towels over him, which he was very happy to snuggle into. When Emerald wrapped her arms around him, she immediately became a very nice hot water bottle. Ruby giggled and cuddled into his other side, pulling the towels into a cosy cocoon. He certainly wasn't complaining. While his aura gave him some protection against the cold, that water (somehow not frozen) was still too extreme, especially with much of his aura being used elsewhere.

At Ruby's request, Winky popped in with a mug of hot chocolate. While it was a little unnecessary, Mercury was definitely enjoying all the pampering.

[Are you okay?] Emerald asked as she rubbed his back gently.

[Fine. Just cold. Can I throw the judges in the lake now?]

She chuckled. [Let's wait until it's past curfew. Just for fun.]

[I like the way you think.] That was the only way this idea could be any more stupid. [Anything interesting happen up here?]

Ruby shook her head. She had been listening in. [No. The only thing was Talaria playing with a water beetle for nearly three minutes before eating it. We really need to teach her not to play with her food. She doesn't even need to eat.]

Mercury rolled his eyes. [It was a bug Ruby. There are billions of them on the planet.] He chuckled a little. [I wouldn't have thought bugs tasted good.]

The creature in question was happily burying herself in the towels. At least she was taking care not to knock them off of Mercury, but she finally settled in a little nest across his lap.

He missed the other Champions coming out of the lake but when he glimpsed Dumbledore approaching, he knew they must have done by now. Internally, he groaned. He did not want to deal with him right now.

"I believe you know my question Mr Black."

Mercury didn't bother to suppress his sigh. "I know Fleur is a Veela. I thought the girl might be too. If she was, she may not last long enough for Fleur to get to her."

"The necessary precautions were made."

Mercury chose not to dignify that with a response.

When Mercury pressed his fingers against each one's neck, he had been trying to aura read them. Naturally, they didn't have aura that could be read, but he did get some sort of reading that was unique to each. Magical signature maybe? The young girl's was very weak, especially compared to the other two. It could be due to her age or it could be due to the fact she was dying. There was no way to know.

A Veela could transform into a sort of bird that could breathe fire when angered. That told Mercury they were creatures of fire and air. Sticking them underwater would not go well. If he could see this, the others should be able to as well. While asking the merpeople to watch over the hostages was (from these guys) an incredible idea, they hadn't noticed anything wrong.

However, Mercury was very sure the girl had been getting weaker.

Dumbledore's reassurances meant less than nothing to him.

"If that is all, Professor Dumbledore?" Ozpin asked.

Dumbledore nodded and moved away.

Mercury let out a low breath. He wriggled a little out of the towels so he could detach the choker and hand it over to Ren before immediately wrapping himself up again. The Room probably couldn't give him a hot tub, but maybe a natural hot spring would work?

 _Two down. One to go._

* * *

25th February

'SECOND TASK: UNDERLAKE EVENT

Written by Apollo Cassandra

Yesterday I, like many, was sitting on the grandstands that had been built to overlook the Black Lake. While such work should be marvelled, especially as it was put up overnight, it proved to be an almost pointless endeavour. They were a great starting point for the Champions, but that was it.

The next hour was taken up by staring out over a still lake. At the time, there was no way to see what was going on below.

Fortunately, there were other witnesses so the judges knew what happened during the Second Task.

There were a variety of methods used to breathe underwater for an hour. Ms Delacour and Mr Diggory chose the Bubblehead Charm. Mr Krum chose a partial Transfiguration into a shark. Mr Potter's choice was gillyweed. Mr Black used a rune based collar, which appears to be a new creation. All proved to be successful and none of the participants drowned.

After half an hour, Ms Delacour was brought back to the surface, mostly unharmed. It would seem she was unlucky with her route and had run straight into the lake's less welcoming inhabitants.

The next bit of seen action from the stands was fifteen minutes later when Mr Black surfaced with Ms Delacour's hostage before diving back down to retrieve his own.

However, the first person to reach the hostages had been Mr Potter. Instead of immediately returning to the surface, he chose to wait until all the hostages had been rescued. An honourable gesture and, given that the Peruvian Vipertooth snapped her chain in the First Task, it is easy to see why he was concerned. With no sign of Ministry personnel under the water, there was nothing to suggest they would interfere if an accident happened.

It was similar thoughts that had Mr Black rescue the half Veela hostage first. He didn't know about Ms Delacour's withdrawal, but his analysis of the hostages found her hostage was getting weaker as time passed.

Mr Diggory was the third Champion to arrive and he returned to the surface quickly with no harm to him or his hostage.

Mr Krum was the final Champion to arrive. All of the Champions that remained underwater had arrived within five minutes of each other. While Mr Potter was the first one to arrive, he was the last one to leave.

Due to the Champions choosing to be a little more complex in their actions and showing the chivalry and sportsmanship that has been encouraged throughout the tournament, it took some time for the judges to come to a decision. That show was watched and greatly enjoyed by the crowd.

While there was some debate on the actual points rewarded, the current positions going into the Third and Final Task stand thus. First place: Harry Potter. Second place: Cedric Diggory. Third place: Viktor Krum. Fourth place: Fleur Delacour. Fifth place: Mercury Black.

All that remains now is the Third Task. I, for one, am greatly looking forward to it and hope the judges actually allow us to watch it this time.'

* * *

" _Accio_."

The stone, which had been thrown angrily into the middle of the Black Lake, came flying back to reunited with its thrower. Within seconds, it had been tossed back in the water.

 ** _"I would be honoured to have you as a student Harry."_**

The stone splashed into the middle of the lake again. The giant squid, obviously in a playful mood, happily batted it back. It clattered on the ground nearby.

 ** _"I'm sorry Harry, but you can't go with them."_**

 ** _"Why not? They said I could."_**

 ** _"If they could, they would. But they can't."_**

 ** _"…Do you know how they got here?"_**

 ** _"They got here the same way they are going back. Talaria would be allowed; she is linked to their world through Mercury. She cannot live a natural life. You will remain here. It is your natural home."_**

 _Home…I always saw Hogwarts as my home, but that was because the Dursley house was certainly no home. It's not feeling much like that anymore. It's obvious I don't belong here._

 _This isn't fair._

"Harry?"

Harry's fist clenched. He turned his head slightly to see Blake approaching, but then looked back over the water to throw another stone as hard as he could. Again, the giant squid knocked it back.

"Leave me alone Blake."

Blake didn't. He sensed her sit near the rock he was resting on, but she didn't say anything. She just watched his routine. He didn't order her away again.

Throw. Catch. Throw two. Catch one and Summon the other. Throw. Catch. Throw two. Catch two.

"I got a subscription to the Quibbler. Nice job."

"Thanks. Best not to rock the boat too much at the moment. For now, we're going to stick to the tournament unless something comes up."

Harry understood why they weren't using their real names. When they started commenting on things that the Ministry weren't going to be happy about, they had deniability. Besides, odd muggleborns that only appeared a few months ago wouldn't have been around when some of the events took place. They will probably never be suspected.

"Luna told me Quibbler sales have gone up."

Blake nodded. "The Daily Prophet didn't report on the Second Task until almost three days later. Some were interested since the Yule Ball, but that was the main reason. It is odd that Skeeter hasn't reported anything."

Harry shrugged. While he was pleased with this turn of events, he didn't question it. Hermione had wanted to get back at Skeeter, which Harry understood fully. She was again assaulted by hate mail after that article about the Ball.

 _Fascinating that so many people care about my life and yet have never sent me so much as a letter before. Brainless vultures._

The giant squid caught the next stone before it even hit the water and returned it.

"You didn't say why I didn't go to the Yule Ball." They had only implied it was because he had plans.

"We only know that you didn't want to. I don't know why."

"I was thinking about leaving."

Blake didn't say anything at first. Harry caught her eye. She didn't seem surprised. If it wasn't for the fact they were stuck here, Harry got the impression they would leave too.

"What then?"

"…What?" That question had never occurred to him.

"After you've left. What do you want to do?"

"…I don't know. I had hoped to go back to Remnant with you."

Blake smiled at that. "I don't think any of us would have complained. Personally, I would quite like that."

Splash. That rock landed in the water.

"Luna told me it wasn't possible." Luna wouldn't lie to him. She may be an odd girl, but she wasn't a liar.

Tap. The rock hit the shoreline.

"If it was anyone else, I would wonder how they know." Blake sighed. "But Luna somehow knows things that it is _not possible_ for her to know. She's probably right. I'm sorry."

"I think I've known for a while she's right. I just…didn't want to admit it."

For a little while, they just watched the surface of the lake. Harry could see the tentacles of the giant squid still. Maybe it still wanted to play. Harry wasn't in a playful mood.

"We all face truths we don't want to admit to. The hardest are always the ones we already knew and didn't want to believe."

That struck a chord with him. Harry sighed. He spun on the rock to face her properly. They were still alone. No one was nearby.

"…What happened?"

Blake continued to stare out over the lake. "Our world isn't perfect Harry. There is still discrimination and hate. For you, it's the muggleborns and often half-bloods. For us, it's the Faunus." She smiled slightly. "No one here believes in it."

Faunus? Harry thought back. He didn't think they'd ever mentioned that before. "What are Faunus?"

Her smile faded. "The easiest way for you to understand is to think of them as a human with animal traits, although we're more complicated than that." Blake glanced around. Seeing no one, she reached up and gently tugged the bow.

Except it wasn't a bow. Blake had a pair of cat ears.

Blake twitched the ears once, then replaced the thread. Once more, it appeared that she had a bow. "Some traits are more obvious than others. Some people just see us as animals."

"And they behave like them?" Harry guessed softly.

"It's not unusual for Faunus to go missing. They are banned from some shops and are even used as slave labour in…certain companies. Second rate citizens."

"And no one's doing anything about it?"

Blake sighed. "There have been…strides. A long time ago, the Faunus formed a group and protested peacefully. Steps were being taken. Then five years ago, those peaceful protests became terrorist attacks. In a way, those worked too. But not in a good way."

Harry could understand that. After being spat on for so long, it wasn't a surprise they chose to change tactics and the new tactics was violence. They acted like the very savages that those in power accused them of and they felt justified in their belief.

"It's a cycle, isn't it?"

"…Yeah. You'll probably see it for yourself soon. These purebloods have no idea what they are doing. On Remnant, there are similar numbers of Faunus and humans. Purebloods are vastly inferior in numbers and…well, everything else."

"…Yeah."

A few days after the Yule Ball, Harry had asked Qrow about the half-bloods and muggleborns. They don't have the blood to get into good jobs in the Ministry so they leave, only to find a lack of qualifications in the muggle world really limited their options. Most of them were working in the muggle army.

Contrary to magical belief, many in the muggle world knew all about the magical one. Every police station in the country knew about magic. It seemed the muggle general public were the only ones in the dark and, given what Remnant's CCT was like, the internet had the potential to be very dangerous.

In fact, Qrow had merely typed 'Hogwarts' into a computer and had gotten onto a message board with a lot of past students writing their experiences. All said the same thing: 'if muggleborn or half-blood, stay in the muggle world'. There had even been a picture of Hogwarts along with a map to get there.

Mercury had said there was a war coming, but he didn't mean between Britain and Voldemort. It would be a civil war between magical and muggle. Almost certainly, the muggles would win.

Harry didn't want to be involved in that at all. He would be an unrelated third party.

 _Third party…_

 _What if…?_

"Hey Blake. Who would I talk to if I wanted to know how to manage a business?"

Blake chuckled, happy to leave their serious topic behind. "I would have said Weiss, but she's not here. No one in RMEY would know. Probably. I don't know much about Emerald and Mercury, but I doubt it. I think your best bet would be to ask the adults. Headmasters certainly need to know how to balance the books."

Weiss. Harry didn't think they had ever mentioned her. He wondered what business she was involved in.

"True. I think I might at least ask. This coming war isn't a war I'm willing to fight in."

"I hope it works out for you." Blake was smiling again, very relaxed. "You could also try Fred and George."

 _Fred and George huh? Not a bad idea._

Harry didn't want to give up his magic. But why did he have to change the Wizarding World? If they didn't want these muggleborns and half-bloods, Harry could offer them a job. The ticket would be choosing the right profession. Fashion was always changing in the muggle world and they could use charms on the clothes (what the muggles didn't know wouldn't hurt them), but Harry had no knowledge of it.

 _Maybe I could talk to Ren and Mercury about their rune based underwater collar. As muggleborns and half-bloods tend to truly understand the topic, then inventing isn't a bad idea. That's not to say purebloods are banned but they can't be bigots, they have to be able to do the job and have the drive not to settle for second best. Someone like Neville._

With so few purebloods in his company, whatever it would be, the Ministry wouldn't really care as long as he paid his taxes. When the purebloods inevitably died out in a few generations, then there would be capable people ready to take the reins.

 _Maybe it should be a multi-purpose company._

This was an idea he should think on a little more. Harry needed to stay in Hogwarts at least until his OWLs, so he could use the time to make contacts. Just because they didn't teach economics at Hogwarts didn't mean there weren't other ways to learn.

A pity party wasn't like him.

 _I promise Blake: I'll treat my employees right. And I'll make sure they treat each other right too._

Maybe he should start sounding out other students and see what they thought of the idea, beginning with the Weasley Twins. Ironically, Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini would be good sources too.

* * *

One good thing about the bookshop in Hogsmeade was that it sometimes carried books Hogwarts did not, especially with Ancient Runes. Hogwarts focused greatly on understanding the languages involved in translation and had very few books on application. At the moment, he was looking for an Arithmancy and Alchemy, the latter not currently being taught at the school seeing as not enough people had been interested in it.

 ** _"A good luck charm?" Mercury asked. He had been expecting an essay on something else. This was very different to what he had been doing for the past few months._**

 ** _"Indeed." Ozpin was the only other one in the room. "For example, there is a potion that results in the person having extremely good luck. Perhaps it is possible to manipulate chance."_**

 ** _"I wouldn't be surprised if it was a placebo effect. Bad things still happen around a very lucky person." Seriously, how do you measure chance? And how do you manipulate it?_**

 ** _"A placebo effect. It's possible."_**

Mercury had ended up agreeing. This had been for two reasons: he was sick of writing very depressing essays and he was curious to see if it was possible. Ozpin hadn't given him a due date, but Mercury wasn't the type to leave something unfinished. It was also a project he was genuinely curious about, though he was doubtful it would work. It would make for very interesting poker games.

The most obvious thing was lucky numbers. He would need to ask Ruby about that potion. There were possibly some symbols that were considered lucky. How to differentiate between what was lucky and what was seen as lucky?

 _This is a ridiculous assignment. It might also be a fun one. Why did Ozpin come up with this?_

At least it required using knowledge rather than just learning it parrot fashion. He hated parrot fashion.

Mercury was very doubtful it would be done by the end of the Hogwarts year. Still, Ozpin and Amber had bought a nice mansion like building for when the school year was done. All that was left was to see if the goblins were able to put a Fidelius on it. They would do a lot for a good enough price.

One good thing about goblins: they were very efficient at business and didn't care who or what you were so long as you could pay. That was something Mercury could appreciate.

After slipping the books into the backpack, Mercury left the shop and began to head back the way he came. A quick stop at Honeyduke's and he was good to go back to the school.

"Mercury!"

Recognising the voice, Mercury stopped and turned. Harry ran up to him with Hermione at his side.

"What do you want?"

"Fancy a drink? I want to talk."

Mercury considered it. He wasn't on a timetable and if Harry wanted to talk, it might be worth his while to listen. The topic might be interesting. "Sure. Lead on."

The Three Broomsticks. Predictable, but to fair, there weren't many pubs and this one was the closest. They ended up on one of the tables near the middle, but as there were so many students, no one paid them much attention.

Talaria jumped from his shoulder onto the table.

"No," Mercury stated firmly. She looked at him and jumped back on his shoulder again. It had been very easy to teach her what 'no' meant. She was intelligent for a baby of any species, but while she could understand certain words, full sentences were currently beyond her.

Oddly, no one seemed to care he had a dragon on his shoulder.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Harry and Hermione shared a glance. Harry spoke. "I was thinking about starting a company. I mean, there are a lot of people that should be in the Ministry that aren't." A very long list. That would be due to bigotry and not competence.

"So what have you decided? A mix of both on your own terms?" Mercury could respect him for that.

"Yes. They can't complain if I work with magic, but I'll be living in the muggle world. In fact, the company will probably overlap and sell to muggles too."

Mercury shrugged. That would help profits. "What they don't know can't hurt them."

"Exactly. Ron's dad once mentioned a shrinking key that had been sold to a muggle. The person involved didn't get in trouble."

 _No surprise there._

"Quick question: which side would you support in a civil war?"

Hermione bit her lip. "It would have to be muggle for me. They see me as nothing more than an uppity mudblood."

"Despite the fact you are superior in every way." Mercury still didn't understand that logic. He could understand being proud of your ancestors, but you should not be proud your family tree looks like an overgrown bramble bush. "Sounds like a decent idea. What area are you focusing on?" If they wanted improvements for the magical world, Mercury could think of a fair few.

Harry sighed. "That's the sticking point. I don't know."

Hermione continued. "It would differ for muggle and magical obviously. Maybe healing potions for magicals and clothes for muggles for example."

"Clothes is a good one." Coco would be more help than him. She wasn't here though. "Things like making sure they don't shrink in the wash for example. As for potions…" He mulled that over. "Tutoring wouldn't be a bad idea. Snape's only the best Potions Master in Britain because he hasn't been teaching students how to create their own ideas and not just follow a recipe."

Harry snorted. "So true. Are any of you good at potions?"

Mercury shrugged. "I'm okay at it, but I don't enjoy it. Ruby and Yang are pretty good, though they see it as cooking and they are good chefs." When Yang managed to avoid setting the kitchen on fire. "Ren's good for the same reason. Quite frankly, none of us are willing to be anywhere near a cauldron Nora is responsible for." That was just begging for trouble. "I would see tutoring Potions as a big money maker and anyone that has the temperament to put up with Snape to get the top qualifications can put up with stupid kids."

Hermione nodded and made a note on some parchment. "Tutoring was something we hadn't thought of. I could come up with a full list later."

Harry smiled at her, then turned back to Mercury. "I don't mean to steal it or anything like that, but what exactly was that thing you used in the Second Task?"

"Essentially a piece of dragon hide that had the runes necessary for underwater breathing. The tricky part there was getting something that could survive a good dip and wouldn't choke the wearer." Weaving Dust into the dragon hide had been another problem, but that didn't apply for them. "We did need help from outside the country though. I don't think we would have found that last tweak in a few years otherwise." Come to think of it… "Is this company national or global?"

"At the moment, national."

For the first time, Mercury wondered what the other magical societies were like.

"Potion ingredients and suppliers is another one, especially if you're interested in discovering new potions. The tax on ingredients from other countries into Britain is quite high." Then a different idea occurred to him. "For muggles, how about fertilisers for the fields?" Farmers tended to do well on Remnant as many fell to the Grimm. That was another note on the parchment.

"Agriculture is a good one," Hermione muttered. "What do you think about warding specialists?"

That was a thought. "An Unbreakable Vow or something similar would be necessary if I was going to hire them. The muggleborns would like it though, especially if they want to show their parents what they can do."

Hermione's eyes lit up at that and she began scribbling.

Harry frowned. "Is that against the law?"

"Harry, they have no way to track who casts the magic. Draco Malfoy could cast a spell in your house and you would get the blame. Many of the old manors have wards that hide them from the Ministry Trace anyway. As long as you don't break the Statute of Secrecy, I doubt they'll care." Especially if Fudge was still in charge.

"That is remarkably unfair," Hermione scowled.

Mercury shrugged. "And they care why?"

The girl visibly deflated.

His amusement was cut short when Rosmerta put a butterbeer in front of him. "I didn't order that."

Rosmerta just smiled. "It's from the woman in the corner behind you. She said you would know her when you saw her."

That didn't bode well. One glance at the area in question very effectively ruined his day. There was no way he was mistaking her. That unnerved feeling grew stronger, but would anything drastic happen? Probably not today.

 _At least she picked me and not Em._

Harry saw her too. "Is she with you?"

"Yes and no. She's from our world, but she's not with us. Best you avoid her. If you'll excuse me…" He left the table and made his way over. Talaria slipped into his pocket, recognising that he saw a threat.

 _Better get this over with…_

This was a conversation he was not looking forward to.

"It's been a while Mercury."

"Pity we never got a chance to say goodbye."

As if nothing was wrong, Mercury took the seat opposite Cinder Fall. There was no sign she was threatening him. She appeared calm and curious, not intimidating. Her eyes remained fixed on him, as if the others weren't worth her attention.

 _I might agree on that actually._

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked. The sooner this chat started, then the sooner it was over.

"Would you believe me if I said I was merely in the area and fancied a talk?" She was definitely amused and not aggressive. There shouldn't be a fight today.

"No." Mercury shrugged, running a finger over the rim of the glass of butterbeer. Most likely, it wasn't poisoned, but he wanted to be sure the reason for this 'chat' first. "We didn't part on good terms after all."

Cinder chuckled. "I guess we did not."

He had always wondered and now seemed like the best (and hopefully only) time to ask. "Did you mean for me to meet Ginger back then? Or what happened to Emerald?"

"Fair questions. I did not. Nor did I mean for the events of what happened at Mountain Glenn. I had wanted to meet Emerald again unharmed."

Mercury narrowed his eyes. He could believe that he wasn't supposed to meet Ginger when he did, but he wasn't convinced about Mountain Glenn. Both Ginger and Pepper had been there.

"I'm sure whatever plan you have in mind now doesn't include Emerald." It was a struggle to keep his tone flat, but he managed it. "So why did you want to meet her again?"

Cinder's eyes focused on his. He didn't squirm.

"We went our separate ways that day. That was due to survival, so that is to be expected. While we discussed past jobs, I have yet to hear Emerald's opinion. Did she have a choice?"

Emerald's Semblance made her a target. Cinder would be interested in recruiting her again rather than harming her. It was the fact she had the rest of the Spring Maiden power that would kill her.

"At the time, not really. That said, she's not going to work with you as long as Ginger and Pepper do. At the very least and maybe not even then. They are making the choice for her." It was probably best to make Emerald's thoughts a little more ambiguous. If Cinder managed to come across her, she wouldn't instantly kill her for being a threat and would be more inclined to talk to her. That gave her a better chance to flee.

Cinder tilted her head slightly in understanding. "Not a surprise, but I suppose it can't be helped." Was that a preference to Emerald or to the insane girls? If to the girls, what made them so important? "But that is not why we are here."

"So why are we here?" Mercury was going to play dumb until he was sure he understood what she wanted.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Cinder chuckled when he raised an eyebrow. "You don't trust me." Mercury didn't need to respond to that. "Let me start then. You are familiar with Gringotts. Are you familiar with a heritage test?"

"Yes." Maybe the goblins had originally thought the same as the wizards: that he was a relative of the magical Black family. It was odd that that was considered down payment.

"Out of curiosity, I took it twice, four weeks apart. My age was identical both times, down to the very day."

Mercury frowned. "So we're not aging?"

"It would seem not. If we are still running on Remnant time, perhaps that time for us has stopped. When we return, it will be to the exact time we left. Do you understand?"

"How it works? Not really. What it means…" He considered. "Despite spending several months here, the Vytal Festival hasn't happened yet."

"Exactly. For different reasons, we both need the Vytal Festival to continue. There is no point kidnapping you as you would most likely return to where you were on Remnant and a death could cause the Festival to be put on hold."

Cinder didn't have to spell it out. She wasn't going to act against them. Ozpin needed the Vytal Festival to keep the peace. Cinder needed the Vytal Festival to destroy the peace. However, both needed it to happen.

For the moment, he and his Gems were safe from her.

"Why meet with me?" Mercury was very sure his name wasn't mentioned in the letter they sent her.

Cinder chuckled. "You know how the game is played Mercury. You were born into it."

Mercury folded his arms and leaned back. He was very sure there was more to it. "You couldn't have predicted I would come here alone."

"True. A pleasant coincidence. The main reason was that I was curious as to how this culture works."

 _Badly._

"And what have you learned?"

Cinder matched his amused smile. "I think we are in agreement of what I have learned. It is what I have not learned that troubles me. A purpose here would be nice. What do you know?"

After a few seconds considering, he didn't see a problem with answering. It was only a theory and he had one more question to ask her. For that, he needed to offer information.

"Our original thought was that it was due to terrorist that 'retired' over a decade ago. That doesn't seem likely as we didn't arrive the first time he was waltzing around. He's probably going to be on the move again soon and that's where the main focus is going to be. The thought is something else. If they know for sure, they're not telling me." They definitely didn't know for sure.

"Interesting," Cinder purred. "I would guess that they do not tell you much."

Mercury shrugged with an easy smile on his face. "You know me Cinder. I follow orders. Strict need to know basis and I never need to know. For some reason, they don't seem to trust me very much and meeting with you isn't going to help with that."

Cinder chuckled. "I suppose not. However, they were the ones who offered a truce for our time here. I am willing to agree to it."

Mercury didn't allow his relief to show there. He was quite good at reading people and Cinder did appear sincere. At the moment, his brain couldn't come up with a reason for her to lie.

"This truce then…Mind if I ask where you woke up when you started here?"

"And why would you want to know that?"

That wasn't exactly a refusal to answer. "Eleven of us woke up at the school and believe me: that has _a lot_ of problems. One was in their government building. They don't have a great track record either and they are full of the worst graduates. That leaves you."

"A fascinating theory. But I'll oblige. I also woke up in their government building. To be more precise: a room with countless shelves that contained nothing more than glass orbs."

 _Glass orbs? Why would the Ministry of Magic have a room full of nothing but glass orbs?_

"That means nothing to you," Cinder stated. It wasn't a question.

"No, but like you said: they don't tell me much. That was just a question I heard knocking around when the other one showed up. We had thought we were the only ones here."

"It's not an unreasonable question. Do you have any more?"

"Not at the moment." Mercury stood up and threw the bag onto his back. "Thanks for the drink, but I need to be getting back. I was expected half an hour ago."

"They keep you on a short leash then?" That amused her.

Mercury shrugged. "Turns out they don't approve of some of the things I've done." In fairness, he could see their point with attacking the Maiden, but HION and Malfoy had it coming.

"Their morals do make fighting wars difficult. Keep that in mind."

Mercury didn't turn around. Cinder was remarkably dangerous, but she wasn't about to stab him literally in the back. As risky as associating with her was, she was a very powerful ally as long as they were careful.

Harry and Hermione had already left.

Mercury wasn't surprised he only made it halfway down the road when Qrow joined him.

"Looks like you were right Silvertongue. We were convinced you weren't."

"So was I. I want my Gems there. Saves me from saying the same things twice. Emerald deserves it."

"Fair enough."

It was only when they were back in the carriages that Talaria came out of his pocket. She stretched her wings and looked at Mercury with a tilted head. She was curious as to whether her hiding had been smart.

"Good girl."

She purred. Her claw tapped on the wood. She looked down and continued to tap, intrigued by the sound. She was certainly no musician, but it was amusing to see her tapping her claws against different surfaces to create different sounds.

"Why were you in Hogsmeade anyway?"

"Ozpin gave me a project to do and the Suicide School was lacking in the books I needed." While there was plenty on understanding the languages and how materials reacted with each other, it would appear application only came after Seventh Year when the student had an apprenticeship. "I ran into Harry and we were chatting until she interrupted."

Qrow chuckled. "Yeah, Harry was asking Oz about finances a few days ago and how you raise money for scholarships. Seems like he's thinking about how to fool the masses into believing he's staying put."

"The 'best of both worlds' would be a good way to put it, by the sound of it. Magic certainly has its uses as well as its abuses. They were brainstorming ideas."

"Not a bad idea. Plenty of improvements to be had and stupidity to exploit. How about we send him to you to ask which legal laws and loopholes to keep in mind?"

"Please don't."

The girls were playing a game of Exploding Snap in the Great Hall. That was a game that Mercury did not enjoy and Yang was somehow an undefeated expert at unless she was playing with Nora. Those matches could go either way.

Ruby spotted him first. She grinned. "Did you bring us back something nice?"

He dropped the backpack in front of her with a smirk of his own. "Nope."

She pouted, then opened the bag. She bounced a little and pulled out the box of Bertie's Every Flavour Beans, immediately throwing three in her mouth. Emerald smiled fondly.

Mercury hated to ruin their good mood, but this couldn't wait. "Come on Gems. I need to see the Headmaster and you need to hear it."

Ruby made an inquisitive sound, mumbled due to a full mouth with round cheeks just like a hamster. Cute. Emerald slipped a hand into the box to swipe a bean for herself without taking her eyes off him. Together they stood up and followed him, with Ruby grabbing the backpack. There were still some sweets in there after all.

As soon as he was able, he wrapped an arm around Emerald's shoulders and pulled her a little closer.

[I just met with Cinder.]

Emerald stiffened. Ruby noticed this and huddled into her other side. Emerald's arm went around her.

The Maiden and Goodwitch were the ones that were in their Common Room. No Ozpin. As they could spend hours trying to find him, they merely asked Winky to. Not five seconds later, she reported he was heading back.

While Emerald and Mercury had avoided her unless Ruby was with them, the Maiden had spent a lot of time getting to know the students. As such, she knew that something must be very wrong if Ruby was ignoring a bag full of sweets, especially the lucky or unlucky dip. The fact that Emerald barely seemed to notice she was in the room certainly added to the seriousness.

There was silence until Ozpin arrived. He placed a folder on the table in the corner, settled in a chair in the mostly circle and waited patiently.

When he spoke, Mercury described their meeting like a script: their exact words. No one interrupted. Even after he finished, there was a brief quiet.

Emerald squeezed his side. [Do you think she was telling the truth? That she would leave us alone?]

Mercury held her close. [Yes. I'll make sure she stays away from you. I promise.] Even if he had to meet with Cinder himself, he would keep her away from them. "So where do we go from here?" Mercury asked the room at large. Their silence was unnerving him slightly.

Qrow patted his other shoulder. The message was received and Mercury relaxed a little more. Cinder may have approached him, but Qrow at least believed him when he said he had nothing to do with that.

Ozpin was leaning back in the chair, clearly thinking. "Our first priority remains the same: getting you through this tournament. If you are willing, would you take another heritage test at Gringotts?"

"Yeah, sure. But isn't that impossible? Not aging?"

Ozpin's hesitance was almost unnoticeable. "Not necessarily. There is even technology in Remnant that allows someone to live, for example five years, yet only a week has passed chronologically. They only age that one week. It was used in the Great War by Mantle to train soldiers officially quickly. It still exists as it's unsure how it works."

 _Seriously? That technology exists?_

"So Atlas has it now?" They had an army of robots and the means to train Huntsman in a week even with those four years of experience?

"No. Officially, no one has it. According to the public, it doesn't exist."

Mercury could understand that. He also understood there was no point in asking further. "So there's a good chance that the Vytal Festival hasn't happened yet?"

"There's a chance. We'll find out soon enough." Ozpin fell quiet for a moment. "She definitely didn't say about contacting us again?"

"…No. Nothing. I think she's going to wait a few months for both sides to gain more information before trying again. Today…" He replayed not just the words of the conversation, but her tone and body language in his mind. "Today was establishing a truce."

Today was about establishing that Cinder was willing to play nice with them.

Ruby poked his hand. She was looking very worried. "Is she going to want to talk to you again?"

Mercury sighed. "By the sound of it, that was what she wanted. I'm just not sure if she's going to wait if I'm alone again. She could not have predicted I was in Hogsmeade today." That was Mercury's main worry: that Cinder would approach him when Emerald or Ruby were with him. He knew how the game was played; they didn't. A thought occurred to him. "Who should win in a fight: the Spring Maiden or the Fall Maiden?"

Qrow chuckled.

The Fall Maiden smiled darkly. "I would."

Ozpin nodded. "Offensively, they have similar abilities. While the Spring Maiden is just as deadly in a fight, some of that power is diverted to healing and purifying." _Purifying?_ "While the power is the same, the Spring Maiden is offensively weaker."

Was that the reason Cinder had attacked the Fall Maiden first even though she must have known the Spring Maiden was an easier target?

"Especially as she hasn't got all of the Spring Maiden's power," Goodwitch agreed.

Emerald's hand squeezed Mercury's. He returned the gesture. His eyes remained on the Fall Maiden. There was no indication she knew Emerald had the rest. Had they not told her that?

"Despite that, she is well beyond your capabilities Mercury."

"I'm well aware of that." She was probably beyond all of them, save the Fall Maiden. That fact amused him. "I have no interest in challenging her. Or even going anywhere near her."

Qrow spoke up for the first time. "Doesn't look like she agrees with you Silvertongue."

Mercury sighed. "So what am I supposed to do?"

That was the question and it was obvious they weren't sure of an answer. On Remnant, they were enemies and both of them knew that. Here was different. The truce was also for both of them; Cinder couldn't risk harming them without a chance the Vytal Festival being affected when they got back and they had no need to worry about the consequences of killing a terrorist, even if they needed the Fall Maiden to contribute to that particular fight.

Emerald didn't say a word for the rest of the day.

* * *

Harry dropped his quill and spare parchment back into his bag. His letter was tied to a very happy Hedwig, who was greatly enjoying her constant deliveries. Harry had convinced Hermione to use her to send letters to her parents. She did this on Saturdays so Hedwig could return on Sunday with their response. Harry had chosen to send her off early in the week (normally Mondays) to different businesses to request information.

Some didn't respond. Some merely sent the information he was after. Others, including Madam Malkin and Tom from the Leaky Cauldron, were very happy to keep up correspondence and answer any questions he had. He even got the occasional answer from Ollivander, though he wouldn't always give answers but then he said which questions he wasn't answering even if he didn't give a reason.

Fashion was looking likely. Interestingly, there were very few firms that hired non pureblood lawyers, but that had the danger of working against the client. Still, it wasn't uncommon for those lawyers that did get hired to have knowledge of both the magical and muggle world. There was no point in hiring one against the Dursleys; he only had to survive two more summers at most and then they would never see each other again.

Inventing was looking like a good idea. There hadn't been anything new released to the magical population except sweets and the occasional joke product, which Fred and George were way ahead of.

Fred and George. That had been a very fun conversation. They weren't stupid though. They had seen him drifting away from Hogwarts and had supported him as it was his choice. They had been one of the very few that Harry told about his real reason for inquiring into business. They weren't surprised and decided to help. He was always smiling when he left their company.

Tutoring seemed to be a profitable idea, especially in Potions. He had sent a general letter to the DMLE saying he wanted to know more about becoming an Auror or Hit Wizard (and what the difference was). He received a very fascinating response from the Head of the DMLE Amelia Bones. She seemed like a no nonsense, but honest woman. Her letter had been informative with no sugar coating the situation.

This particular letter was to Madam Longbottom, Neville's grandmother. While Neville could tutor Harry in a lot he needed to know, he didn't enjoy the subjects and had much to catch up on in others. His current work on the gillyweed project was going well and he was more comfortable with his magic. As such, Harry wondered if he could meet Madam Longbottom regularly over the summer. Neville had thought it was worth asking her and he seemed to think she would agree.

While he hadn't told Hermione, Harry had asked Dobby if he would take letters to Sirius and offered him payment (three knuts a delivery is what they settled on and Dobby could also cook him good food). This alleviated Sirius' fears of someone recognising and tracking Hedwig. She hadn't been happy to hear that, but with so many other jobs for her, she forgave him rather quickly. As she sometimes had to wait for a reply unless Harry needed her (though he had no idea how she knew that), she could accept _one_ job being done by someone else.

Sirius. Those letters were often the highlight of his week. The stories about his parents, the stories about Sirius himself, the advice he gave about everything Harry had asked him (and some things he didn't) and had even promised to discuss Animagus training with him.

Harry had been jealous of Mercury and Emerald. But Harry did have someone who loved him as Harry and Harry swore he would do everything he could to make Sirius a free man. He more than deserved it.

Remnant wasn't perfect. No world could be. If Harry couldn't make a home there, then he would have to make one here. After everything he had done for the magical world, he had every right to settle the way _he_ wanted. He wasn't going to let anyone tell him otherwise.

Harry left the Owlery in good spirits.

He was halfway back to Gryffindor Tower when he heard a well-known voice nearby. It was coming from an empty classroom.

"Harry…Can we…err…Can we talk?"

Harry studied Ron. He appeared very nervous and kept fidgeting with his robes. These fitted him well. Harry was tempted to ignore him and continue his route back but…something stopped him. He didn't know what. He hadn't spoken to Ron since the night his name came out of the Goblet. Hermione had said Ron was trying to catch his eye a few times in the past few months, but Harry had ignored it.

"Fine." Hoping he wouldn't regret it, Harry stepped inside and closed the door. He folded his arms and waited with a blank expression. "What do you want?"

Ron swallowed. His feet shifted a little. He took a deep breath and met Harry's gaze.

"I want to apologize. For everything. Not believing you, sneering at you, not telling you about the dragons and just…being an absolute jerk. I'm sorry."

Harry wasn't surprised at the fact Ron was apologising. He was surprised that he felt a sense of relief and content. Where had that come from?

"It's been months Ron."

"Yeah. I know."

Harry's heart began to thump. He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid Ron until he finished Hogwarts, but he hadn't been prepared for how difficult this first talk was. What was he supposed to say? Could he really throw away three years of friendship?

 _Ron did out of jealousy despite knowing I wanted no part in the circus._

 _I did make things worse that night. I should have tried to convince him rather than snap at him. He didn't deserve that._

 _I didn't deserve his words either. He started it. He got kicked off the Quidditch team because of his attitude._

"So what now Ron? I can't forget what you did." Harry gulped. "I was wrong in what I said that night. I don't deny that. If it was just that night, I would have understood it. You're hot headed. We both are. But when you cooled down, you still sneered at me."

"I know. I-I'm sorry Harry. I just…"

"…You needed to say it. I get it."

The two were deliberately avoiding and each other. They couldn't be close friends again. After everything that had happened, Harry just couldn't do it. Maybe they didn't have to be friends per se…but they could stop ignoring each other.

Ron nodded a little. "I also needed to say 'thank you'. You didn't have to give me a share from the Basilisk, especially after…Thanks."

Harry sighed. "You deserved it. At least, the Ron back then did. The problem is that I don't know you anymore. The Ron I knew would never have done what you did." If this ended up being the last time he spoke to his old friend, he wanted to be sure he said everything he needed to.

Ron winced at that. "Yeah, I know. Look Harry…I know we can't be best mates but…Could we start over? Maybe not from the beginning of the tournament but from the summer? Bloody hell, I'd even take the day we first met."

Could Harry throw away three years of friendship?

 _We're not the same people now we were back then._

"That depends Ron. I'm doing a lot of things you wouldn't be happy about. Things the 'old' Harry wouldn't do. It may be best to stick to what we have now…but…"

Ron swallowed. Then he looked hopeful at that last word. "But?"

"I don't want to fight you anymore. You were my first friend, you know that? We can't be best mates again, but I don't want to be enemies." They weren't enemies. They had never been enemies.

Ron dropped his head. He wasn't surprised, but disappointed. He had obviously been expecting this.

"Okay…Just….Just remember I'll be there when you need me. Even if it is just a wand against You-Kn-…V-Voldemort. Just let me know if I help you at all."

With those words, Ron left.

A conflicted Harry remained behind.

* * *

 **AN: There is going to be no more additions from Remnant into this. As tempting as it is to stick Weiss or Pyrrha in this, there will only be the 13 that are already accounted for. Cinder is the last.**

 **The toughest question of this fic was whether or not Harry was going to go to Remnant. After much thought, I decided against it. When Harry in canon was motivated enough, he could do incredible things and it wasn't like him to back down. The more I wrote this fic, the more it became that Harry would stay. It just didn't fit that he would leave the entire planet as he actually knows very little about it and where he belonged. In a way, it's a screwed up world, but it's Harry's screwed up world. If he went to Remnant, there would always be that small regret.**

 **The talk between Harry and Blake was the day after Luna told him.**

 **Thank you very much for reading.**


	9. Friendly Allies and Competition

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

The Quidditch season was winding down.

Some matches had been total shut-outs, such as Slytherin vs Beaux. However, they had then lost fantastically to the other Beauxbatons team Batons. Ravenclaw had beaten Batons, but had lost to Strang. Hufflepuff had only lost two matches, one to Strang (with Krum as Seeker) and the other to Gryffindor.

In Harry's opinion, the match was well worth the hype at the time and had been quite close. Harry had been fortunate to spot the Snitch first and it had been quite close to him. He had snagged it when Hufflepuff were 120-90 up. He would admit he had been lucky, but he wasn't upset with that as, between him and Cedric, the final chase would have had a lot of luck involved.

Only one match remained: Gryffindor vs Strang.

Harry was looking forward to this almost more than he had been looking forward to his rematch with Cedric. Krum had yet to lose and had pulled some incredible stunts during his matches. There was a very good reason he was the country's Seeker.

Just before they took off, Harry turned to Angelina. "So are we going with plan A or plan B?"

Angelina considered. "That's up to you Harry. We'll adapt. Make up your mind when you see what Krum has in mind."

Plan A: focus entirely on the Snitch and ignore the rest of the play, save the bludgers.

Plan B: use the Firebolt to help break up their plays and allow them to score more often.

Harry kept an eye on the game, but most of his focus was on Krum. Krum, interestingly enough, appeared to be doing the same. He wasn't exactly looking for the Snitch, but he wasn't not looking for it either.

A few more minutes and Harry was sure: they were both waiting for the other to make a move.

The Chasers were evenly matched. The Twins were certainly the better Beaters, but Fay was the weaker Keeper. She was new and was playing remarkably well despite everything. It was just that the Chasers were better than her.

Even so, the first half hour resulted in 40-30.

It was anyone's game.

Harry hadn't even seen the Snitch in that time. Krum circling the field meant he hadn't either or it had been too close to Harry to risk going after it. Harry was very sure this wasn't the case though.

As time passed Angelina, Katie and Alicia got in their stride. Within a fifteen minutes timespan, they had scored four goals before losing the Quaffle.

This triggered Krum's activities. He shot off towards Alicia and Katie, obviously going to break up the partnership. Harry cast an eye around and, with no sign of the Snitch, switched to plan B. When Krum broke apart the girls and even managed to knock the Quaffle out of Katie's hands, he had yet to notice Harry's tailspin that had put his other teammates out of the way.

Angelina caught it and the Twins covered her. One more goal.

That set the stage for the rest of the game. Krum and Harry split their time searching for the Snitch and aggravating the opposite team. It was another ten minutes before a goal was scored and that was to Strang.

100-40.

100-50.

100-60.

110-60.

110-70.

110-80.

Krum dived straight down, nowhere near the players. Scolding himself for not paying attention, Harry followed, hoping to catch him.

 _Hang on…_

Harry pulled up. He glanced around.

 _Wronski Feint. Just like the Quidditch Finals. If Krum's pulling a feint, he might have seen the Snitch and it might be close to-_

 _There!_

The Golden Snitch. It was hovering by the stands, by one closer to him than Krum. Harry shot after it. He almost had it when it suddenly changed direction. A slight flip and very risky brake turn and-

 _Yes!_

The little ball was clasped in his fist, wings fluttering wildly.

 _I did it! I beat Krum! We won!_

Cheers erupted throughout the stadium. The entirety of Hogwarts was celebrating. Gryffindor had won. A Hogwarts student had beaten Viktor Krum to the Golden Snitch. The final match of the season was fantastic enough to be called the Finals.

Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny were on their feet.

All of Remnant were clapping, if not standing and cheering.

Ron was clapping and cheering.

Viktor Krum landed. He walked over and offered his hand. "Good game. You didn't fall for it."

Harry shook it. "I couldn't see the Snitch and I saw your match with Ireland. I got lucky."

Krum had taken a gamble. If Harry happened to spot the Snitch, Krum wouldn't be able to get to it before he did. Chasing it would grab Harry's attention and he was closest. He had only one option left and Harry didn't fall for it.

In the end, Quidditch was a game of skill, strategy and luck, not necessarily in that order.

Today had been mostly luck, with a little bit of skill. The only thing that could beat skill and strategy was luck.

Cedric patted him on the back. "At least I lost to the overall winner. Nice catch Harry."

"Thanks."

"Don't let it go to your head. I'm still winning the Tournament."

Krum laughed. "We will see."

Oddly enough, it was actually feeling more like a competition than a death trap.

Ironically, that feeling began to fade during the Gryffindor after party. Harry attended this one like he had all of the Quidditch after parties. It was a team game after all and they had won as a team. That these were also the people that were still his friends ensured that he would be sticking around and not just turning up for a little while.

The following day, Hedwig brought him a letter from Madam Longbottom. She was happy to tutor him during the holidays, but expressed extreme disappointment and anger that he hadn't already been taught the topics he had asked to be tutored in.

 _That makes two of us._

The other piece of mail he got was from Madam Bones. Professor Ozpin had asked his permission to send a letter to the DMLE with Hedwig to organise a meeting. Harry had asked the reason, was told and allowed it along with a letter of recommendation from him so she wouldn't dismiss it as a prank. As she had responded positively, mostly because of that recommendation, he was pleased that he had been able to help. That she took the letter because he was Harry Potter (student and Basilisk Slayer which he was actually responsible for) and not because of the Boy-Who-Lived reassured them they had made a good choice.

Harry had had breakfast with Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Katie. As much as he liked Ginny and Katie, he wasn't willing to tell them his current plans for leaving after his OWLs. He had discussed it with Neville, who was understanding. He did respond he thought giving up magic was a bad idea, but giving up on the magical society was a view he could understand even if he didn't personally support it.

After all, his Uncle Algie had dropped him out of a window and no one had cared. Everyone had thought he was a squib and did nothing to stop Snape from bullying him.

However, Neville was greatly interested in Harry's current thoughts of a multi-purpose company. While new Potions may be invented very rarely, there hadn't been any new breakthroughs in Herbology.

Neville and Hermione came with him to the library. They did have homework to do, though Harry wasn't going to do Binns'. There was no point and he had better things to do with his time. Hermione had argued the first time he didn't hand it in, only for him to question her how a ghost would mark papers. As he didn't get in trouble then, or five missed homework assignments later, she reluctantly let it go.

All three of them had great respect for Professor Flitwick and Charms had always been a good subject for them.

Ren and Nora were the only ones there they recognised. While Ren was reading, Nora was doodling and humming a very cheerful tune. Harry didn't recognise any of the pictures.

Neville looked at Harry, who shrugged with a smile. They approached them. Ren looked up and smiled back.

"Can we join you?" Neville asked.

Ren nodded. "Sure. How's your gillyweed project going?"

"Great! Professor Sprout asked a few students from different years to try the gradual method and I got a few. That helped determine how gillyweed effects are affected by weight and magical core."

"They're not affected by magical core." Ren said that as a statement.

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Mercury did get it to work for him, but he had to lower his aura shield first. Whenever he raised it again, his aura would try and counter the effects. Sorry, we should have mentioned that earlier."

Neville shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You're not magicals, but I'm not convinced you're the same as our muggles either. It's interesting, but not important information."

Harry had asked them before he told Neville the truth about them. The knife that left scars that magic couldn't heal along with boots that could somehow kill a dragon in one shot convinced him completely.

Neville and Hermione were researching for an essay on the Accio charm. As Harry had obviously already mastered it, Professor Flitwick had Harry a little ahead of the class with learning about the Stunning spell and its reversal. Harry was grateful for that. He needed a lot more powerful spells in his arsenal than simple Disarming. He had two months left of the Tournament and of Hogwarts before they broke up for summer. He couldn't practise spells at the Dursleys.

Nora rubbed her hands together. "So…what do you think will be next? You've had dragons and merpeople. What about a troll? A Basilisk? A manticore? Wait…that was the last Tournament. Ooh, I know! A Skrewt or one of those giant spiders!"

Harry shuddered. "God I hope not." He knew the Skrewt would be worse but he did not fancy a reunion with one of Aragog's children or God forbid Aragog himself.

"Aw come on! They're not that bad."

"For you," Hermione retorted. "We don't have force-fields."

"Are you sure? I mean, you can have armour and there must be a spell for a shield. There is a spell for tidying a desk after all and who needs that? Lazy, lazy. Or you could just hop on the thing's back! That's always fun to do."

Harry disagreed. He didn't comment. Neither did the others.

Although, Nora probably did have a point. It would probably be wise to research as many magical animals as he could and double check his Basilisk armour that day.

* * *

"Thank you for meeting with me Madam Bones."

"The pleasure is mine Professor Ozpin."

Amelia Bones was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Minister for Magic may be corrupt, but there must be a reason she wasn't the one that arrested Hagrid that day when the Chamber of Secrets opened. There must be a reason why she wasn't called when Sirius Black was captured at Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall was complimentary about Madam Bones and believed her to be fair and honourable. Many people agreed, according to Harry's letters. They came from many sources, so they were likely to be reliable.

Honestly, they were hoping to find an ally in the Ministry and she was their best chance.

"I am curious as to why you wished to meet with me though. As far as I know, none of your students have committed a crime."

"I believe the Daily Prophet accused one of them of using Dark Magic."

"I tend to take what the Daily Prophet reports with a healthy amount of doubt. I was informed that he merely used technology no one else had, save the others from his school." Madam Bones sat down and gestured to the seat opposite. "I will admit I am interested in this school, but I am more interested as to why you wanted to meet with me."

Professor Ozpin leaned his cane against the table and took the seat. "It is a difficult story to tell Madam Bones. All I ask is that you allow me to finish before you ask questions. If you wish me to take Veritaserum, I will happily do so provided the questions are relevant."

He certainly had Madam Bones' attention. She nodded her agreement. Rather than go into details, he merely gave her the basic facts: that they were from a different world and that they didn't have magic but aura. He gave a brief description of similarities and differences in their worlds and explained more clearly what aura was.

At first, Madam Bones said nothing. Her head rested on her knuckles and she seemed deep in thought.

"That is a very fanciful tale."

"I know. If someone from your world arrived in ours, I would also be sceptical." Professor Ozpin could understand why someone wouldn't believe his words. "Is there anything I can do to convince you?"

There was a brief silence.

"There is no need. Your student did that during the First Task. This explanation, while incredible, is a relief."

Those words surprised him. "That a student has a weapon that can kill a dragon in one shot is not what most would refer to as a relief."

"I was referring to the fact muggles aren't giving this technology out to students. I have a few informants in the muggle army that give me very vague descriptions of their common weapons, but nothing like that."

Madam Bones knew about muggles and their technology. This gamble appeared to be paying off very nicely. "I assume these would be muggleborns or half-bloods."

"They would. Many half-bloods have relatives that live in the magical world that aren't as dismissive towards muggles. I would guess you have seen the common attitude?"

Professor Ozpin sighed. "There have been…altercations. Although they seemed to have settled down after one particular incident."

"Would that have anything to do with Draco Malfoy being in St Mungo's?"

It didn't surprise him she knew about that. It did surprise him she wasn't angry about it. "It would. Out of curiosity Madam Bones, if someone were to refer to you as a 'mudblood and his whore', what would your reaction be?"

Madam Bones scoffed. "I wouldn't apply. I would be a blood traitor. However, I would expect the response to normally be a punch in the face, depending on who is speaking. Is that what happened here?"

"Not entirely. They didn't rise to the insults, but the spells Mr Malfoy fired. No less than twelve. They cannot punch him in the face as that would probably kill him, so they chose to scar him instead." Now he thought about it… "That may have something to do with the fact Mr Malfoy tried to pick a fight with Mr Potter by calling him 'scarhead'. Where does the law stand on this?"

"Officially, it is an internal Hogwarts matter and will be unless there is a death. Unofficially, I hope your student was punished whether or not Mr Malfoy deserved it."

"They were." Mercury definitely wasn't happy about it.

"Good. Now I would like you to answer one question that has been bothering me for a while. If you arrived in October, why are you only approaching me now?"

It was a fair and very understandable question. He took a moment to consider how to answer it. He had expected Madam Bones to be fair and she was, but she seemed almost angry with that question.

"It was nothing against your person. However, we have heard a little and deduced much about the corruption in the Ministry. While we did wish to meet with someone, the Minister's actions and those in charge of the tournament worried us. We weren't sure who to approach. However, when we learned another of our group started in the Ministry as well as the one we already knew about, we thought it must not be a coincidence."

"I can see why you are upset with the officials in charge of the tournament, but what about the Minister?"

The most obvious reason was the case of Sirius Black and also the treatment of Rubeus Hagrid after the Chamber of Secrets opened. However, this information came from Harry and, while he had said he didn't mind them using it in the Quibbler, Professor Ozpin did not want to incriminate him. While there was no way Harry should know about Hagrid being taken to Azkaban, they did have a reasonable scenario for Sirius Black that had little to do with Harry.

"The first worry we have about the Minister was his action of placing dementors around Hogwarts with no one to ensure they remained in line."

Madam Bones sighed. "That idea was not originally his, but his Undersecretary's. However, Lucius Malfoy agreed and he has a son at Hogwarts, so the Minister thought it was a good idea. Many of us disapproved, but he was stubborn."

"Even after they almost killed Harry Potter during a Quidditch game."

"I've heard nothing about that."

That was no surprise. "The other problem is the case of Sirius Black."

It was obvious he had surprised her with that. "The mass-murderer?"

"Possibly, possibly not." She opened her mouth, but shut it when he continued. "After Mercury Black was chosen as a Champion, the student body seemed to change in their behaviour towards him. It turned out that was due to his surname so we had a look and came across Sirius Black. It may be due to us having no authority to ask, but we couldn't find anything about a trial. Not even in the newspapers and what information we did find was very…circumstantial at best."

Madam Bones seemed more thoughtful than angry. That was encouraging. At least she hadn't immediately jumped into denials.

"Where does the Minister fit into this?"

"At the end of last year, Sirius Black was captured at Hogwarts and several witnesses claimed his innocence. He chose to ignore them completely and believe the one witness that was unconscious for the majority of the event. I understand he was under pressure from the public to resolve the issue, but his lack of interest in justice concerns me."

"You speak as if Sirius Black is innocent."

"The witnesses report seeing Peter Pettigrew. It was easy to get information on him, including the fact he has supposedly been dead for twelve years."

That interested her. "And you believe them?"

That may sound like an innocent question, but Professor Ozpin was sure it wasn't. "One of the witnesses was Harry Potter, who would be interested in locking up someone involved in his parents' murder. Another was Hermione Granger, who has an incredible record and is not known for telling tales. The final witness was Ron Weasley, who is the son of a respected Ministry official. The witness that was unconscious was Severus Snape and his hatred for Harry Potter and Sirius Black is legendary in Hogwarts."

"Interesting." Madam Bones waved a hand. "We've drifted off topic."

"True. There are other reasons for our mistrust, but I would rather keep those quiet for now. I will admit I have never met the man, but the Ministry has not endeared itself to us through the tournament. How is your investigation going into who entered their names?"

Madam Bones growled. "It's not. We were assured that Hogwarts would handle it and, as it was Alastor Moody, I let it slide. Things at the Ministry that night were rather stressful. If you wish to know the results, I would recommend talking to him."

It was disappointing, but there was little Professor Ozpin could do about that. "I see."

"You said that two of you arrived in the Ministry of Magic. I have had no reports on strangers inside this building that weren't expected. If there is a hole in my security, then I would like you to tell me."

"As we don't know exactly how we got here, I cannot help there. One was in a courtroom and he is genuinely good at sneaking around when he wants to." Which is almost never. How much attention would a crow get? "The other is where we are having the problem. She claims that it was a room full of shelves with glass orbs."

Professor Dumbledore had said he was aware of the room in the Ministry, but he wasn't willing to share the information with him at this time. For now, Professor Ozpin let it go. He would revisit the topic during the summer.

"Both of those are very worrying. The first may be obvious, but the second is in what we call the Department of Mysteries. It is a room where prophecies are stored."

"Prophecies? They are real here?" He had gotten the impression that Divination was a waste of time.

"That is a question to ask the Unspeakables. Personally, I recommend you don't think too much into it. Are there going to be any more of you?"

"We don't believe so. All of us arrived on the same night at least and you probably won't mistake us for a magical." The clothes and weapons at least indicated that. "Thank you Madam Bones. Is there any way we can help you?"

"You can start with the Nott murder. That was in a few days of you arriving. I don't like coincidence. Did any of your group have anything to do with it?"

It would appear Mercury was right about that: Mr Nott's death wasn't the result of Dark Magic. Meeting with Cinder hadn't confirmed or denied that theory.

"It's possible. The twelve of us currently in Hogwarts are together. There is one other that is from our world, but is not with us. Ironically, a good term for her would be 'terrorist'. Having met the purebloods in Hogwarts, we think it was self-preservation but when we spoke to her, we had other things to ask. That topic did not come up."

Madam Bones gave him a very stern look. "You brought a terrorist here."

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "A terrorist to our world; not to yours. In our world, she works for someone else. From what we know, we have an objective to complete here before we can go back home. Regardless of the problems we have with her, we agree on that. I don't believe she'll attack unless provoked."

"She killed Nott in a very disturbing way. That is not someone I can have wandering around."

"With all due respect Madam Bones, there is no way you can harm her." After searching her features, he knew he wasn't going to get away with only that. He did understand her point. "Please be careful with this information. I spoke before of aura. That makes us very resistant to your magic. However, not only does she have aura, she also has control over our magic, something a very select few individuals can do. She is flat out immune to your magic. We believe it was our magic that killed Mr Nott."

"Immune." She was obviously not impressed to hear that. "You lot seem to be the biggest danger to us."

"Agreed." There was little point in denying that. "The altercation between my student and Mr Malfoy. It is our belief that something similar happened between her and Mr Nott. While the student chose to scar, she chose to kill. It doesn't take much for some magicals to start throwing spells and at the time, I am doubtful she fully understood how powerful she was in comparison."

Madam Bones was quiet for a few minutes to process the current situation. She appeared to be taking things calmly and methodically.

"If she is your terrorist, is there a problem with you dealing with her?"

Professor Ozpin sighed. "The problem is that only one of us can go against her and survive. She has greater magic than her and she knows it. She is going to avoid a fight and if the event does occur, the collateral damage would be immense. The rest of us stand no chance in battle, even cooperatively. Hence why we currently have a truce with her."

"You are suggesting we ignore her."

"I would recommend strong caution when dealing with her, but I do not think she will attack without a very good reason." Mercury was under the impression Cinder was the 'wait, see and adjust' type. She wouldn't do anything unless she had something to gain. "In a way, 'terrorist' is the wrong word for her. They cannot be reasoned with. She can."

Professor Ozpin did not like defending Cinder's actions, but any magical they send after her is very likely to be killed. Avoiding a fight with her was the best and only way to go at the moment.

"Are you in contact with her?"

"Not at the moment. We have only seen her once and that discussion was a short one." The main reason for that was because it wasn't planned. "I imagine she will spend most time in the muggle world and follow the news in the magical."

If they weren't certain they were needed at Hogwarts, that is what they would be doing. From the sound of it, she didn't like the magical society and would most likely choose to stay out of it to avoid drawing attention. This truce was for her too. Amber had plenty of reason to hunt her down and kill her. The main reason she didn't was because they had no way to find her.

Again, there was a brief silence.

"I will say now that I do not like this. Your presence here is a danger as, if you decide you are above the law, there is little we can do to stop you. The fact that one of your terrorists is here as well does not endear yourself to me." She paused. Professor Ozpin did not interrupt. "However, I do appreciate you telling me this despite your…rather understandable misgivings and I'm willing to help where I can. That does not include covering up crimes."

He chuckled at that. "That is not the lesson I want my students to learn. Believe me."

"I am pleased to hear it. My niece is currently in Hogwarts and she has said she likes the changes that have resulted due to your presence."

"Susan Bones? She is good friends with Blake and Zephyr, I believe."

Madam Bones smiled happily. "Indeed she is. I even think she has a crush on Zephyr. She was very upset when he went to the Ball with Ms Delacour."

That made him chuckle.

Teenagers.

* * *

Emerald and Mercury were battling with twelve drones.

It was a simple fight. Emerald's Semblance didn't work on these drones and Mercury was restricting himself to three hits before he 'lost'. Emerald had chosen to stick with four hits. She hadn't practiced as much as he had.

It was almost mind-numbing.

If it wasn't for Talaria. She had decided she wanted to get in on the fighting and, after a moment, the pair had shrugged and continued. If she wanted to get involved, they needed to learn how to work with her. However, as she was still technically a baby (almost juvenile), they weren't going to get her involved in any real fights, but this was a good way to teach her this was dangerous. They couldn't always predict when they were going to get into fights.

That particular lesson was learned quickly. Now she was trying to use her claws as weapons against humans. She was getting very good at hunting vermin.

After Mercury showed her where to target, she was getting very good at attacking humans. When she fully matured, she would be just as resistant to magic as her original counterpart, but now she was vulnerable.

 _Although Ruby is very insistent she only attack in self-defence in order to flee. That's probably a good idea actually._

Yang and Ruby were on the opposite side of the Room. They were running through the steps to make this good luck potion, although Ruby didn't think they would manage to create it successfully the first time. When they had heard what Mercury's assigned project was, they immediately wanted to help. He wondered if they just wanted the challenge. The potion was insanely tricky, but that made sense.

That good luck charm project was actually going a lot better than he thought it would when he was first assigned it. He was also fairly certain the reason why Ozpin gave it to him. That reason, more than anything, was why Mercury really wanted it to work.

"Talaria: retreat."

Talaria whined. However, she obeyed. She flew straight up and shot to the side, landing on the table next to Ruby.

Ruby gave her a scratch between the wings, just where she liked it. "Good girl." She ripped off some ham from her sandwich and the little dragon happily snapped it up. She knew that she would always be rewarded when she obeyed orders, but she had noticed the pattern and took advantage of it. If she obeyed instantly, she got the most meat. The more times they had to repeat it, the less food she got.

Currently, the little Vipertooth was perfectly happy with this. Recently though, she had begun to study the reward before eagerly eating it.

It had made teaching her Atlesian code easier, or Morse code as they called it here, allowing her to communicate in long sentences. It was interesting that something like that was identical in all but name.

Four drones left.

Snap.

Three drones left.

A roundhouse kick into sickles.

Two drones left.

Two decapitations later and the match was over.

Mercury stretched with a sigh. "One hit to the right arm. That reflected." He wasn't concerned about spells that hit the metal braces. In a real life situation, he would leave his aura shield up if he was fighting more than one opponent or if there civilians nearby. If it was one on one, he would use their spells against them.

Emerald checked her weapons. "Two. One to the stomach and the other to right shoulder." When it came to their magic, she was immune. However, if Cinder learned of that immunity, there would be big problems. Even so, Emerald had no interest in getting involved in any magical fights. "Next time I'll avoid that with human shields."

A chuckle escaped him. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Fancy a spar?"

"Sure."

Of course she would start by making sure he couldn't see her. Sneaky devil. Well. Two could play at that game. If she was going to use her Semblance, he was going to use his.

Originally, he had thought it an Aura Wielder trick. It was only later that he realised he was wrong. There was a reason why his winged fox could travel through solid objects, yet the girls' forms couldn't.

The sickle literally went through his chest, left to right. Now he knew where Emerald was. As she hesitated to try and figure out exactly what just happened, Mercury attacked. It didn't matter he couldn't see her; he knew her position and he wasn't going to get a better chance.

His first kick hit her leg, so a few more well hits knocked her down. Now she was visible. He quickly pinned her wrists under his boot. She stilled.

"Give up?" he jested. How was she going to get out of this?

She remained still. Her breathing was a little off. Her aura was almost trembling…as if…

He lifted his foot and backed off. "Emerald? You okay?" She didn't seem okay.

Emerald looked at him. She didn't _see_ him. She shifted back into a crouch, brought her hand up and-

 _Move!_

Searing heat. The fireball missed him, incinerating the wall behind him. He glanced behind him. He could logically understand what Emerald had just done, but it took a few seconds to fully click. When it did, his focus went back to her.

Her features had shifted from fear to horror.

In three strides, Mercury cradled her in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay." That didn't calm her. Even Ruby's swift appearance and hug didn't calm her. Emerald kept murmuring apologies. He gently pressed his lips against hers, giving her more than enough room to pull away if she wanted.

She didn't.

After a moment, Mercury did. "It was an accident and it missed. It's fine."

"I almost barbecued you."

"Let's not get carried away. The worst it could have done was shatter my aura and it missed. I'm fine. I would have been if it hit me."

Yang had caught up by now. She gently patted Emerald on the back a few times, then her hand rested on Mercury's arm. [Has she ever done anything like this before?]

[No.] As far as Mercury was aware, she couldn't even make a flame in her hand, never mind a fireball the size of that one. "Emerald, how often do you practise?"

"I don't. Not since then."

 _Not since Mountain Glenn. That was over six months ago._

Odd how time passed, yet they hadn't aged. He shook those thoughts from his mind. Not important now.

[You're not going to like this idea Mercury, but think about it first. What about asking the Fall Maiden for help?]

Yang was right; Mercury didn't like that idea. He managed to avoid dismissing it instantly to examine it properly. Emerald had been struggling before, not able to do anything except altering her own temperature and maybe set a small campfire alight. They didn't even think something like this was possible.

Only now did it occur to them how powerful 30% of the Spring Maiden's power actually was.

It was terrifying to think that the Fall Maiden must have been holding back that day. But she must have been if her power was superior to the Spring Maiden.

Not important now.

What would happen to Emerald if she tried to suppress this sort of power?

[Not now Yang.]

Yang was sympathetic, but firm. [I know. But unless she learns to control it, she's going to be afraid that it's going to happen again. That worry that next time we won't get out of the way in time.]

[I get the message. Just not now Yang.]

[I can ask her if you want Mercury. Just don't leave it too long.]

Mercury suppressed a growl. They did not need this right now. [Do not go behind Emerald's back on this Yang. Have her approval first and only then. Don't ask her now.]

[I know.]

Ruby was somehow managing to calm Emerald down. Mercury was very sure it was something he did that triggered that reaction and the only thing he could think of was pinning her hands above her head. That was easy not to repeat.

Avoiding triggers was only a short term action. Emerald was getting better, but it was going slowly. Even on days where the depression was the strongest, she was still able to respond well and those days were becoming less. That was better than she had been at first.

Emerald would get there. She just needed time.

Talaria landed in front of Emerald, tilting her head to tell them she was confused. She crept forward, nudged Emerald's hand and leapt back. When nothing happened, she creeped forward again. She nudged once more. Emerald just stared at her. Talaria stretched her head forward…

"Hey!"

Ruby giggled as Talaria jumped back, her tongue moving inside her jaws. Her tilted head showed she expected a different taste from licking Emerald's hand due to that fire.

Emerald was scowling at her now, not unlike the expression on Mercury's face when Zwei did something remarkably annoying.

 _I knew there was a reason I liked that dragon._

Still, if she was annoyed at Talaria, then she wasn't dropping too deep due to the accident. It was a start.

* * *

Madam Bones closed the report and sat back to think.

Nott's murder had been a problem for the past few months and the Minister had let her know it. Another look at the information yielded no results. At the time, it looked like this would be a crime that would go unsolved and she never liked that.

She had been apprehensive when Mr Potter had asked if she would be willing to meet with Professor Ozpin for 'magical security'. She had decided to do so merely so she could try to gain a better understanding of a weapon that could kill a dragon in one hit.

There was no way to predict what he told her.

After hearing the story, she had been strongly tempted to take the professor up on his offer of Veritaserum. However, that was a very controlled substance and there was little of it in the Ministry due to the Minister thinking it unnecessary. Add in that these people were resistant or flat out immune to magic, there was a chance a potion wouldn't affect them.

Having dealt with many criminals, Amelia was good at telling when someone was lying to her. She didn't get that impression from Professor Ozpin. However, there were other ways to check certain facts and theories. After the meeting, Amelia managed to arrange the Unspeakables to examine Nott's body. Their analysis: Dark Magic was not responsible for this death.

Most likely, his death was the result of their 'terrorist'.

Amelia couldn't prove this and Unspeakable results could only be used in trial, not during investigation. She had never understood that. If she wanted to arrest this woman, she needed more evidence. Still, if Professor Ozpin was right that she was immune to magic, then she couldn't pursue her. There were barely enough Aurors to keep the Ministry going and she couldn't afford to lose a single one.

With no deaths since October, Amelia had to let this go. She was not happy with that.

The Unspeakables had told her some classified information: there were records of people from another world over seven hundred years ago, before the Ministry of Magic even existed. That did support Professor Ozpin's story. They were also of the opinion that they were here for a reason and advised her to work with them.

 _Wonderful. What problem could they possibly have been brought here to deal with?_

Amelia had investigated the prophecy room and had spent many hours off the clock checking the initials on the glass orbs. She may not believe in Divination, but prophecies had to come from somewhere. It was the third day that had gotten interesting results: an orb with the initials APWBD, HJP (?) and TMR. The five letters were obvious and the interesting happenings at the school suggested Harry Potter as another. She made a mental note to investigate possible people with the initials TMR and SPT around 1980 when she had the time. She was very sure it wasn't important as she didn't believe in Divination (even if it stated 'Dark Lord'), but she didn't like coincidence. It was odd that their 'terrorist' would appear there.

The courtroom was interesting. It happened to be one of the courtrooms on the lower levels, where Death Eaters were tried after the war. Amelia was aware that some of them had not been under the Imperious Curse, but she had no evidence and these people were now seen as upstanding citizens, with Nott being a good example. At the moment, they were untouchable.

 _What I wouldn't give to get Lucius Malfoy under Veritaserum._

Amelia wasn't blind to the corruption of the Minister. She had long suspected he was taking bribes, though again she had no proof. However, how much was corruption and how much was incompetence was impossible to tell. Putting the dementors around Hogwarts and expecting them to behave was the main incident that sprang to mind.

Out of sheer curiosity, she had searched for the transcripts of Sirius Black's trial. She was not amused to discover she couldn't find it. However, that did give her precedent to throw Death Eaters in Azkaban if she had 'enough' evidence against them. Barty Crouch may have used emergency powers to do so during the war, but all prisoners had to be tried within six months afterwards. However, the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black had not. She had to be careful how to use this. While she was not happy a possibly innocent man could be hunted by dementors, she had no evidence to suggest he wasn't guilty. She needed to talk to the witnesses that claimed to see Peter Pettigrew.

With the Third Task of the Tri-wizard Tournament less than a week away, she decided to approach Harry Potter immediately after the Task. As the questioning included evidence for a 'convict', Veritaserum was allowed to be used even on a minor (though it could be argued the Tournament negated that) provided there was adult supervision. Nowhere does it say that adult had to be a guardian.

When one looked carefully at the laws of the land, it became obvious how ridiculous they were. Officially, that law had been put through so trusted tutors and professors could be present for the interrogation and the parents wouldn't have to be disturbed. In reality, it allowed the substance to be abused if that adult wished. From her impression of Harry Potter through his and her niece's letters, he would not complain if it meant his story was heard and believed.

It was remarkably irritating when Fudge took the law into his own hands.

It had been amusing when he wanted to arrest that student for knifing Draco Malfoy, only for Amelia to point out two things: knifing wasn't technically illegal and it was an internal Hogwarts matter unless there was a death or the Headmaster said otherwise. The amusing part was his childish pouting when she explained the facts of life to him. It spoke very poorly of the man that he only got into office because he was easy for someone else to control.

No, Amelia understood full well why these people had been hesitant to approach anyone in the Ministry.

What annoyed her was that Albus Dumbledore had not mentioned this to her. They were a warning of great danger to the Wizarding World and he had known about it since the night they appeared. He had not said anything to the Head of the DMLE, despite it being her job to protect the civilians from threats. Did he know that one of them was most likely responsible for Nott's death? Professor Ozpin said he had never told Chief Warlock Dumbledore so he believed not, but Amelia wasn't sure. He knew enough about them that putting one of them at the bottom of the lake for the Second Task could kill them.

Amelia had organised to meet with Professor Ozpin again after the Third Task. She still had many questions to ask him and she expected to be there anyway to question Harry Potter. May as well kill two birds with one stone.

Again, Amelia glanced down at the photograph of Nott's body. Despite her respect for them, she wanted them gone from her world. They were armed and dangerous, with at least two flat out immune to their magic.

There were dark times ahead for the Wizarding World and they needed all the allies they could get.

* * *

The Third Task was tomorrow.

It probably wasn't a coincidence this was a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry was feeling confident and had spent nearly all of his free time practising. When Hermione dragged him to the carriages with the reasoning he needed to relax, Harry didn't argue. He did need the day off so he would be ready for the maze tomorrow.

Their first stop was to get owl treats for Hedwig and then to get a pair of wand holsters for himself and Hermione. After that, they headed to the Three Broomsticks and ended up at the same table as Ginny and Colin.

"Hi Harry," Colin chirped. "Looking forward to the Final Task?"

"For the most part." Harry couldn't wait for it to be over. "You're going to have your camera right? Mind taking a few pictures?"

The boy could have passed for a bobble head. "Yeah, I can do that. I mean, I can do that if they let us watch it this time. I would have loved some pictures from the Second Task."

Hermione frowned. "Did you take any during the First?"

"Oh yeah. Got them sitting around somewhere. I was trying to get them on one page, you know? I didn't get a chance to take one of the Vipertooth, but I got the others. I think I've got it now though so you can have them if you want. I've got spares."

Ginny smiled. "I think the whole school would want them if they were going."

Harry agreed. "How about sticking them on a calendar or diary or something like that? I would buy one."

"Hey great idea!" That put a large grin on Colin's face. "Could you sign mine? I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Colin…" Normally Harry would refuse. But he thought it over and sighed. "Only yours and no one else finds out about it. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Say Harry, do you know who Apollo Cassandra really is?"

Harry hoped Colin didn't read too much into his surprise. "That article writer? No. Why?"

"Well, it's obvious they're a student and I wondered if they wanted my pictures to go with their articles. It wouldn't be any trouble."

That wasn't a bad idea. "I don't know who it is, but I can ask around." He was very sure it was either Blake, Emerald or Zephyr. He just wasn't sure who, but he was leaning towards Blake.

 _Unless it's all of them._

"Would you? Thanks Harry."

"I can ask Luna," Ginny noted. "I'm sure she knows."

 _She knows, but I'm not sure she'll tell._

That was when Harry spotted Zephyr near the bar. He seemed to be alone, so when their eyes met, Harry waved him over. With a shrug, he joined them.

"Not intruding am I?"

"No. Have you met Colin? He's a bit of a photographer. Colin, Zephyr."

"Hello," Colin chirped. "I wouldn't say a bit of a photographer…Well I suppose I am, but I want to be a professional when I grow up and my family love seeing the pictures so…"

"Practice makes perfect," Zephyr nodded. "So what's your favourite picture to take?"

Apparently Zephyr was very good with hyperactive children. Then Harry remembered he was on the same team as Nora. He would have to be.

"Well, I like Quidditch, but I can never get everyone in frame and I would rather tape one of those matches from start to finish. I don't know how to do that though so I try to get just after the Seeker catches the Snitch."

"Main part of the game really," Ginny commented.

Hermione nodded. "It's not like the rest of the game matters unless the opponents are really getting thrashed."

Zephyr did let out an almost mournful sigh. "That is one bad thing about the magical world: the lack of TV."

"Tell me about it," Colin groaned.

Ginny looked at each of them. "What's TV?"

"It's a box. Think of a wizarding picture, but the image is an hour rather than just a repeat of a few seconds. Then you have different channels where one could be nothing but advertising clothes while others could be soap op…umm…"

"Another could be sport," Harry slipped in, to Colin's obvious relief. Soap operas were not an easy thing to explain to a society that didn't have actors. "For example, we can watch a football game on our sofa, which is about 90 minutes long."

With all the stuff he had seen at the Burrow, he was slightly surprised a TV wasn't there. Then again, knowing Mr Weasley, that was probably a good thing. He wondered how Ron would react if he learned that sports finals could be watched at home.

With a smile, Hermione spoke. "Colin was thinking about trying to find Apollo Cassandra and see if they wanted pictures to go with their articles."

"Huh. That's actually a good idea. What's the famous Rumour Mill saying about them?" It would seem that Zephyr agreed at least.

"They're thought to be muggleborn, but that's all anyone agrees on. The general thought though seems to be they're not in Slytherin."

 _Blake's ambition, Emerald's cunning and Zephyr's leadership…Ironically, I think Slytherin is probably where these guys should be. Then again, if the Twins managed to trick the Hat into Sorting them into Gryffindor, then anything is possible._

"That's not a lot to go on," Zephyr chuckled. "If they're using a false name though, they probably don't want to be found."

"They did practically insult the Ministry during the Second Task," Ginny pointed out. "I mean, they had it coming but still. What do you lot call it? A circus?"

"Without a ringleader. At least it's almost over now. I just hope they'll let us watch it. The fact it's a maze doesn't inspire confidence on that front."

Colin nodded. "Yeah. I got great pictures for the First Task, but nothing on the Second. That maze looks awesome, but I don't want to be staring at hedges for hours."

When Bagman had shown four of the Champions that maze, the spectators hadn't even crossed Harry's mind. It didn't seem like it had crossed their minds either. This tournament had just been one mess after another from beginning to end.

Hermione sighed. "It is a shame that after all the hype before the tournament started, it turns out we can't even watch it. I suppose they are hard pressed to find something to go wrong this time."

"Save the animals escaping," Harry retorted. It was a little obvious there would be obstacles and magical creatures would be the easiest things to put in there. He could only hope they didn't put something too insane in there.

"Save for that yes."

"I suppose Hagrid will be nearby."

Colin bounced in his seat. "You'll be awesome Harry. I know you can win."

That was an interesting point. At the beginning of the tournament, Harry would have been happy just to survive. Now he thought he had a good chance of winning.

The question was whether or not he wanted to.


	10. Unfriendly Contests

**In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

Qrow just knew today was going to be a long day.

The actual Task was scheduled to start in the evening. That left the entire day with little to do, as classes had been cancelled and tiring yourself out before the Task was a very idiotic thing to do. The Champions appeared to have been chosen because they were the least idiotic people currently in the Suicide School. Not much of a claim to fame.

The day started off with Ruby, Emerald and Mercury having a lie in. They resisted all attempts to get them up before midday.

Eventually, Yang taught Talaria some of Zwei's more annoying tricks. She seemed very eager to learn those and managed to master them in an hour. Then again, the fact they had somehow managed to teach her Atlesian code in two weeks showed how intelligent the little dragon was.

Why they called these creatures mere beasts was something Qrow didn't understand.

Qrow was also curious as to how the trio were going to get back at Yang for that. He just didn't want to be anywhere nearby when they responded.

Just before she got them up, Yang told him about what happened the day before. Qrow had been surprised when he learned about what Emerald had done and he could understand their concerns. Mercury had been the first to get up and so Qrow asked him. It was obvious Mercury was worried, but explained that he had triggered a flashback and she had reacted. He had asked her hours later if she wanted to talk to the Fall Maiden and she had refused. When Qrow asked her when she got up, she scowled and said it wouldn't happen again.

Mercury had caught his eye then. When Ruby took Emerald for something to eat, he hung back and asked what the results would be on Emerald if she tried to suppress that power. Qrow didn't know, but he was sure it wasn't anything good. He did agree that Emerald had to approach the Maiden on her own. Their history made it difficult for all three of them and Emerald had to be absolutely certain Amber would help rather than try and take revenge. Emerald may logically know she wouldn't, but fear was not a good mind-set for learning control.

Qrow didn't push further.

All eight kids spent the afternoon in the Room of Requirement playing dodgeball, with no Semblances or weapons allowed. Qrow chose to walk around the school, mostly letting his mind wander.

He, Oz and Amber weren't coming back to Hogwarts the next year. The question was whether or not the students would. If they did, then Glynda would also stay. It wasn't wise to leave them completely without supervision. Given the mess that the past four years had been at Hogwarts, he was very sure someone had to be here and it would be best if it was a student.

 _There's also the fact none of us trust these people with Harry._

The more that time went by though, the more everyone wanted to go back home. Qrow would admit he was included in that. Almost seven months with no idea why they were here wasn't boosting anyone's spirits. As it happened, their aura was still developing naturally. Ruby was starting to disobey the laws of physics when she burst into rose petals and Blake was now able to physically touch her shadow clones. Emerald was managing to alter two people's perception without a headache now and Yang's control over her temper was transferring well to her Semblance.

Mercury's aura abilities spoke for itself, though while he had said he had figured out his Semblance, he hadn't told it to Qrow. Typical.

An hour before the start of the Task, he found Mercury mostly alone in one of the alcoves on the second floor overlooking the maze. His company was Talaria, who was curled up on the windowsill and using the edge of the hip cape as a pillow.

Qrow leaned against the wall. "Something bothering you Silvertongue?"

"Just wondering what's going to go wrong this time. If it was anyone else, there is a good chance their dragon would have killed them. The second time, they almost kill a hostage that they are personally responsible for. That's not a great track record."

"The next logical step would be the audience, though you could argue that was the dragons too."

"At least they didn't put Emerald or Ruby down there."

 _Thank goodness._

"I really don't think they'll put hostages in there. They're old news. All the other tournaments finished with the winner grabbing the cup. For…'tradition' reasons…" The worst reason for abuse ever in his opinion, "they're probably going to do that again."

Mercury hummed. "I'm still not going to win."

"Is that a lack of confidence or is that a choice?" Qrow did remember him saying that right from the very beginning.

"Choice. I've seen the way they treat celebrities and I'm not impressed."

He had a point. "Might want to make it look good then. They love slander." After all, they believed Skeeter's stories of Harry despite constantly getting his age wrong, one of the few things everyone would know. More than once, Qrow and Yang had had to calm Ruby down after she read something the 'journalist' had said about Mercury, despite never meeting him.

"I noticed." He laughed. "I don't think that's going to be as big as a problem as it was. No more news on Skeeter, after all. Shame."

Qrow chuckled as well. "Shame indeed. Honestly Silvertongue, how are you feeling?"

"About the maze, pretty good. But we still don't know who put my name in. That bothers me."

That bothered Qrow as well. The problem was that they were unlikely to get an answer. The handwriting didn't obviously match any of the teacher's, which left the Seventh and some Sixth Years. They hadn't asked for the teacher's handwriting but took it from homework assignments as they tended to be more natural. They could be wrong, but it didn't look like a teacher was responsible.

"Whoever it was probably wasn't expecting you to do so well." Officially, Mercury may be in last place, but the bias was obvious from the very beginning. He had heard a lot of students were unhappy with the scoring. "After all the complaints last time, they want to have a way to watch the rats running around. No idea how they're going to manage that though." That was the reason it was in the evening and not the morning.

"Rats huh? I think I've been insulted."

"The other three are performers while you and Harry don't know how to die. Would you prefer cockroach?"

Mercury chuckled. "Definitely not."

There was a comfortable silence after that. A little while later, Ruby showed up to fetch him for the Task. They met Emerald and Yang on the Grand Staircase. They chatted about the Vytal Festival. They were confident they would do well as they had had a lot more time than most First Years. Then they wondered what it would be like if people had ended up on different teams.

They were laughing. It made Qrow smile.

While they hadn't built an entire stadium this time, they had built rather tall stands. In fact, the stands were taller than the hedges for the maze. The maze itself seemed very unimpressive. What was it like inside?

"Have fun Silvertongue," Qrow chuckled as he headed over to the stands. Mercury's responding scoff summed up his feelings well.

Very soon, most spectators were in their seats. There were binocular like devices on each seat and that, combined with the height of the stands, would allow people to see what was going on in the maze. At least they had cleared that up.

"Anyone else got a bad feeling about this?" Blake asked. She and the other students were in the row directly below Qrow and the other adults.

"You worry too much," Zephyr responded as he fiddled with the binocular things.

Qrow was in agreement with Blake. Oz seemed troubled and Amber wasn't even trying to hide her concern. Glynda's face was carefully blank. Something was up, but no one knew what. It put all of them on edge.

Moron Bagman and Professor McGonagall were talking to the Champions. One seemed annoyingly chirpy while the other looked solemn. Whatever they said, the magical Champions nodded while Mercury just shrugged and said something. They walked away with Moron putting his wand to his throat.

 _That seems like a great way for accidents to happen._

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Third and Final Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" As cheers met his words, all Qrow thought was that they should have changed the name. "In first place and so entering the maze first: Harry Potter!" _Hypocritical cheers there._ "Entering second place: Cedric Diggory!" _They're likely to be sincere to be fair._ "Third: Viktor Krum!" _Mindless fan boys and girls._ "Fourth: Fleur Delacour!" _Teenage boys._ "And entering the maze last: Mercury Black!" Oddly, he got a very good cheer as well. Huh. That was a first. "Alright Harry. On the whistle! Three…Two…One!"

There was a whistle.

Harry ran into the maze. However, when the hedges closed behind him, he immediately slowed into a walk. His wand lit up like a torch and he continued with a swift, but cautious gait.

 _Smart lad._

At the next whistle, Cedric entered in a different opening. Like Harry, he had seemed eager at first, but almost immediately slowed. Something about the maze unnerved them.

Viktor had been pacing before he was allowed in on the third whistle. His actions mimicked Harry's and Cedric's.

When Fleur entered, she hesitated at first but then took off at a run. She did have some catching up to do.

Amber, who had been watching one of the Champions, winced. "Cedric's just had a nasty run in with Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt. He got away fine, but it's still alive and he had to backtrack."

Qrow remembered the kids talking about those Skrewts. All of them, even Mercury, were in agreement they never wanted to meet one and that they would make a very poor pet. They would even make a poor guard dog, all things considered.

When Mercury was allowed to enter the maze, there was none of the hurry Fleur had. In fact, he could be taking a stroll in the park for all the care he was showing.

 _That is not what I would call making it look good Silvertongue._

"What's that thing?" Nora asked. "It looks like the Grim Reaper."

"Who?" Ren responded.

"Harry. He turned left then right, then right agai-That's the Patronus he showed us! The stag. Cool."

Qrow's eyes left Mercury and went to Harry. It looked like a cloaked figure as it stumbled back. That was a dementor? For some reason, Harry dismissed the Patronus and jabbed the wand forward. The cloaked creature began to rapidly change shape before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

 _That's what happened to Mercury's boggart, according to him. Is Harry's worst fear dementors? For good reason if Oz's description of them was right. A boggart seems a little personal. Uh oh._

Harry was heading straight for a huge spider that was at least the size of a full grown and many year old Ursa. Harry hesitated when he saw it, but he quickly avoided its jump to bite him. One spell later and it smashed into the hedges on the opposite end, unmoving. After waiting a moment, probably to make sure it definitely wasn't getting up, he moved on.

Impressed, Qrow followed the path Mercury took and finally found him again. He was also heading towards an acromantula. He wondered if the officials knew where Hagrid had gotten them from.

 _Probably not._

Mercury didn't hesitate when he saw it. He ran right at it. When it leapt at him, he skidded underneath it. By the way it stumbled when it landed, Mercury had done some damage. The knife was in his hand and he swiped it before it could turn around. It did not like that. When it faced him again, it couldn't react to Mercury fast enough. He jumped on top of it and drove the knife deep in the body.

It collapsed and stopped moving.

Mercury flicked the blood off the knife and kept going, still in no hurry.

Harry was getting close to the Cup. So were Cedric and Fleur by the sound of it. Krum had gone the wrong way from the very beginning and so had to correct himself. While Mercury was deep in the maze, he was making no attempt to find the centre. He even did an eenie meenie miney mo between two paths to 'accidentally' pick the wrong way.

 _Well, it's obvious to us that he's trying to lose. Whether or not these idiots realise that is up for debate…That is a hippogriff. Why did they put a hippogriff in the maze? What stops the person from just hitching a ride and flying to the Cup? I bet they would claim they were cheating too._

Mercury stopped when he saw it. His mouth moved in what looked like 'you're magnificent'. Qrow was sure when Talaria bared her teeth and growled. Ruby chuckled and cooed.

"Don't worry girl. You're still his favourite."

Qrow let out a very low chuckle, almost too quiet to pick up.

The hippogriff had been aggressive at first. In moments, the wings tucked in a bit and it just stared at Mercury. When Mercury bowed, it wasn't the most sincere bow Qrow had ever seen, but then Mercury didn't really bow to anyone. Maybe the hippogriff picked up on that. It only took a second before it bowed back and allowed him to approach.

After a few pets, it allowed him to go on his way.

Seeing nothing more in Mercury's path, Qrow searched for Harry. He was only a few turns away from the Cup, but had been stopped by some Red Caps. These ones had shields as well as clubs. A type of rope shot out of Harry's wand and pulled one's shield away. A red spell later and that one dropped to the ground. The second one didn't learn from this experience and so was dealt with in the exact same way.

Qrow zoomed out. Mercury was the farthest away. Physically, Krum was closest, but he had the most distance to go due to the twists and turns in his path. Fleur went left when she should have gone right and it would be a little while before she hit the inevitable dead end. Cedric was also near.

It would be close between Harry and Cedric.

They both met at a t junction and so knew the third way was the way they needed to go. That path lead directly to the Cup. However, in their way was a very difficult creature and they had to get rid of it to get past it.

It was a second Blast-Ended Skrewt.

 _We really need to talk to oblivious fool, though kudos in managing to get two of those things to that size without them killing each other._

Both of their spells seemed to just bounce off the armour. Given that it could attack in opposite directions, surrounding it wouldn't help and the hedges made the task even more difficult. Qrow certainly wouldn't want to fight one of these things in those conditions.

The two Hogwarts Champions seemed to be in agreement. They were backtracking. The Skrewt followed them. They were heading for the junction where they would have more room. The question was whether or not they could find a weak spot. It obviously wasn't the armour.

 _Legs seem durable and there are no obvious eyes. Nothing I can see screams 'strike here'. The joints and the underside are their best bets._

"How are the others doing?" Qrow asked.

Glynda waited a moment before answering. "Harry and Cedric are battling a Skrewt. Viktor has just fallen for the same gold mist trap Harry did earlier. Fleur is battling the maze itself as the vines have grown in her path and trying to trap her. Devil's Snare possibly. Mercury…What is that? He's encountered…They didn't. He's fighting a chimaera."

That got Qrow's attention. It took him a moment to remember what a chimaera was. When he did, he immediately searched for the fight.

It wasn't difficult to find.

 _Why the hell did they put a chimaera in there? There's only one record in history of a wizard killing one of these things. In fact, a chimaera was the reason this tournament was stopped._

Mercury didn't look concerned. He was focused, choosing to dodge and study instead of rushing into an attack. The creature was much swifter than the acromantula and moved in a very different way than Mercury was used to. While he didn't have claws to watch out for, the dragon's tail was just as dangerous a weapon as its teeth.

"Careful Merc," Ruby muttered.

Grimm had a very specific pattern of attack when they are young and an experienced Huntsman recognises how they learn as they age. Patience was the main thing, but very few learned to adapt. They always attacked head on, even if they choose to ambush.

Natural animals were different, especially the predators. They have to adapt or they die. Older ones rarely attack head on and, if they're smart enough, alter their strategy in battle. These very rarely attack humans though and so are left alone for the most part. This thing was made up of a goat (not very dangerous), a lion (plenty dangerous and intelligent) and a dragon (First Task speaks for itself).

It pounced and missed. When it turned its head to try and catch Mercury as he had dodged, the kick nailed its muzzle. If anything, having a dislocated jaw only enraged it.

Mercury began dodging again. His movements were fluid and measured. He chose to allow himself to get pinned to the ground so he could shift his weight. The knife went into an eye. It immediately reared up and altered its trajectory to stomp him. Mercury had already rolled out of the way and was back on his feet.

When it landed, Mercury dashed forward and dashed back again.

"Where are they?" Amber muttered. Qrow ignored her, keeping his focus on the fight.

In moments, it was obvious the chimaera was struggling to breathe. Blood was everywhere, dripping from a deep slash in its neck. As it weakened, it began to sway. A few more seconds passed before Mercury felt safe enough to approach and stick the knife into its brain, putting it out of its misery.

 _Nice Silvertongue._

Qrow's gaze went back to where he remembered the Hogwarts Champions were. The dead Skrewt was there (upside down), but there was no sign of Harry or Cedric. A glance further on showed the Cup was gone too.

"What happened?" Who won and where did they go?

Those three questions were being repeated around the stands.

Oz frowned. "Both Harry and Cedric touched the Cup at the same time. They vanished and haven't reappeared."

Zooming out, Qrow searched the maze for any sort of movement. He could see Mercury, Fleur and Viktor. No Harry or Cedric.

"Where are they?" Zephyr asked. "What'd I miss?"

"Was the Cup supposed to be a teleporter?" Blake queried. "If so, where was it supposed to go?"

"And where has it actually gone?" Ren added. "Something is very wrong here."

Ozpin stood up and headed down. Curious, Qrow followed him. The judges (minus Crouch who Qrow was only now noticing wasn't there) seemed to be arguing. Another woman approached them that Qrow had never seen before.

"Amelia Bones," Oz murmured. "Head of the DMLE."

Ah. Ozpin did say he was meeting with her today. She didn't appear to be a happy camper. That said, with the messes these guys left behind even before this incident, Qrow wouldn't be either.

"Well?" She demanded the 'judges'. "We appear to be missing two Champions. Where are they?"

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about Amelia," Dumbledore smiled. "We know the Cup is a portkey that will take them just to the entrance of the maze."

"How quickly does a portkey work?" Ozpin asked. He was in as bad of a mood as Madam Bones was.

She was the one who answered. "They are usually instantaneous, especially over this distance. We are five minutes in and they are still missing. Any explanation at all?"

A man that Qrow had also never seen before waved a hand. "Come now Amelia. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure we'll see them any second now."

"Minister, I disagree. They have been missing for too long. Someone has altered that portkey."

"Nonsense."

 _This is the Minister? No wonder this world is in such a sorry state._

Dumbledore nodded. "I must agree with Cornelius, Amelia. Alastor himself placed the Cup in the maze. There is no room for foul play."

Alastor Moody.

The Huntsmen spun around. Moody was trying to make a subtle getaway. Glynda noticed their stances, followed their gaze and targeted the ground in front of the fleeing man. He froze, before spinning around and firing a green spell in their direction.

Qrow wasn't sure who he was aiming at. It didn't matter. While he had drawn his sword, Oz had raised a force field, which absorbed the light with no problems.

A red spell left Bones' wand and Moody went down.

She then did the 'microphone spell'. "Everyone remain in their seats and don't move unless you are dismissed." She then cancelled the charm and looked at the maze. Her question was to the judges. "Is there a better way to search the maze than using omnioculars?"

 _So that's what they're called._

They didn't respond.

"There is one," Qrow commented. It was the angles that made the search difficult and if, for some reason they were unconscious, they wouldn't be seen. "I can't guarantee the results."

"Any help would be welcome."

Qrow's eyes searched the crowd. Spotting his target, he beckoned them over. Ruby was at his side in an instant, with Talaria balanced on her shoulder.

"Uncle Qrow? What's going on? Where are Harry and Cedric?"

"We're working on that kiddo." His eyes focused on Talaria. "Go to Mercury and tell him to get an overhead view of the maze. He's looking for the two Champions."

Talaria nodded to say she understood and took off.

Emerald and Yang had joined them at this point. Yang opened her mouth.

"We're working on it Yang."

Minister Idiot sighed. "There's nothing to work on. Everything's fine."

DMLE Head sighed. "It very obviously isn't. Headmaster, I need somewhere to interrogate Moody and someone to watch over him while we fetch some Veritaserum."

"Amelia-"

"Minister, it may only be Hogwarts students that were kidnapped, but any of the competitors could have touched that Cup." Her voice dropped. "France and Bulgaria are going to watch our actions closely Minister. As it was pure luck that their Champions are fine, this can very easily become an international incident. That was a Killing Curse. We cannot allow any mistakes."

 _So green can only be a Killing Curse? Nothing else? Good to know._

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "Is this really necessary Amelia? It's Alastor Moody."

"So he wouldn't disapprove," Emerald interrupted. "'Constant vigilance' is his motto."

"Exactly," Bones agreed while most others glared at her. "He is going to be furious if we don't interrogate him when the evidence points to him. Also, Alastor Moody didn't even use Unforgivables during the war when they were legal. I would like some answers."

Minister Idiot was getting very annoyed. "Nothing has happened Amelia! The portkey is just slow."

"We have far passed slow Minister. This is now a kidnapping case." With a murmur and a wave of her wand, a big cat Patronus appeared.

Dumbledore interrupted now. "That is not necessary Amelia. Severus has some Veritaserum in his stores for educational purposes." Qrow snorted there, which most (not including Bones) ignored. "Would that be satisfactory?"

"It would."

Again Minister Idiot opened his mouth. Then his eyes widened and he shut it again. Curious, they all turned to have a look.

When Qrow sent Talaria to Mercury, he assumed Mercury would choose to possess his winged fox aura animal to have a look around. Mercury had instead decided to backtrack a bit and return to the golden brown hippogriff he had passed by earlier.

Qrow approached as the two other Champions got off and thanked the creature.

"No obvious sign of them," Mercury reported. "It was just a swift scan though. Want me to take another look?"

Bones studied him, looked at the maze and then turned her attention back at him. "One moment. Mr Weasley." The Weasley that had been at the judge's table approached. "Where are the blueprints for the maze?"

"On the table Madam Bones." Without being asked to, he fetched them. "All the obstacles are recorded along with their position."

 _That is surprisingly competent._

"Thank you Mr Weasley." Madam Bones walked closer. She gave a brief bow, which the hippogriff dipped its head to, and handed the sheets to Mercury. "Would you mind checking these? My department is currently busy due to unforeseen circumstances."

Mercury raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at Moody. "I see that. Sure thing. Let's see…Nope. No name. You wouldn't happen to know this hippogriff's name, would you?"

"I'm afraid not."

Emerald approached, also bowing. Again, it dipped its head. She walked to its side and waited for permission before hopping up behind Mercury. The hippogriff was fine with that.

Talaria flew off of Mercury's leg and landed in Ruby's hood. She scratched her between the wings. Ruby gave a wave. "Have fun."

They chuckled. With a short run up, the hippogriff was back in the air again.

Oz sighed. "I suppose it isn't possible to track portkeys?"

"Unfortunately not. However, I am sure that this interrogation will be a useful one."

Most of the students were sent back to their dorms. The Beacon students (save Ruby), Glynda, Amber and a few adults (including Amos Diggory) stayed behind in case they reappeared. Snape headed to his dungeon while most headed to the third floor.

Qrow had a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

If Harry survived this, he was having very serious words with Hagrid.

Nothing he nor Cedric were using was getting through. Everything bounced off the armour and there was nowhere safe they could stand. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was with Malfoy when it came to these things. They should be exterminated.

The only question was how to do it.

"Harry, you're friends with Hagrid. Did he ever mention to you where he got this from?" Cedric ducked to avoid a fireball that didn't burn the hedges.

 _Now they choose to be thorough._

"No." Harry leapt to the side to avoid a stinger.

"Are all of his Care of Magical Creature's classes like this?"

"Umm…Well, the hippogriffs weren't actually that bad." Hagrid had warned them that insulting a hippogriff was a very stupid thing to do. Malfoy had had it coming. "The nifflers were good too."

Cedric chuckled as his next spell bounced off. "Nifflers. Good times."

Harry wanted to ask, but found it difficult to catch his breath. This thing just wasn't letting up. It _jumped_ at him. Harry almost didn't get out of the way in time.

"Harry?!"

"I'm fine!" Yes that had startled him, but he had seen something. "It's not armoured underneath!"

"Right." Cedric sidestepped another. "I flip it and you hit it?"

"Sounds good."

Now they just needed the right time. Also, if they stuck close together, they found it difficult to dodge. They separated, but kept an eye on one another.

It leapt at Harry again…

…and suddenly flew backwards.

Harry didn't hesitate. " _Impedimenta_!"

They both winced when they heard the crunch as it hit the ground. It obviously wasn't getting up again. As one, they let out a long and relieved breath.

"Thanks," Harry gasped out.

"Don't worry about it. I can't believe there were two of them."

"Neither can I." Harry was very sure they were cannibals. Why did Hagrid have such a bad taste in pets? What idiot decided it was a good idea to put them in this maze? An acromantula is one thing, but that was ridiculous.

There was only one way to go.

That way led directly to the Tri-Wizard Cup.

The two stared at it. They turned to each other.

"Take it Harry. You deserve it."

Harry shook his head. At no point in the maze did it actually hit him he could win. "I don't deserve it over you."

"You told me about the dragons and the lake."

"And I got that off of Mercury and his group." How did they decide?

Cedric's eyes went back to the Cup. It was so close.

"Together then. A joint Hogwarts win."

Harry could agree with that. "Together."

Together they reached for the Cup. At the same time, their hands touched opposite sides.

A tug near his navel told Harry it was a portkey. That did seem more convenient than trying to find their way back through the maze.

But they didn't arrive at the beginning of the maze. As Harry shoved himself up, he took a look around. He was very sure he had never been here before.

 _And yet…_

He was in a graveyard. The portkey took him to a graveyard. Why?

"Was the Cup supposed to be a portkey?" Harry asked, his wand in his hand. His eyes went to the graves as he passed them. Why were they in a graveyard?

"I don't know." Cedric was still over by the Cup. "Makes sense though. But where are we?"

Harry's eyes caught. For a moment, he just stared.

Then everything clicked.

Harry turned and ran back. "Cedric, we need to touch that portkey. Now!"

This was the graveyard from his dreams of Voldemort.

Cedric looked at him funny. "What's the hurry? What's wrong?"

"Kill the spare."

Harry heard the weak voice, but couldn't see anyone else around. It was too dark; there were too many hiding spaces. Where was the attack going to come from? What was it talking about: 'spare'?

The green flash came from in directly front of him. It wasn't aimed at him.

Not really thinking, Harry brought his wand up. The spell that was fired was red, but he had no idea what it was. The two collided and cancelled the other out.

There was a hiss.

Cedric was fine.

The Cup was nowhere to be seen. The short, but powerful shockwave must have knocked it around the tombstones.

 _Damn it._

Cedric fired a Stunner at the figure they could barely see, but he ducked. When he vanished completely, both Champions spun around trying to find him.

"Can you see him?" Cedric seemed panicked.

"No." Harry's mood was similar, but he there was a calm about him. He had been in a deadly situation many times before. The most important lesson: don't panic. "Was that Apparation?"

"No. No noise. He's around here somewhere. Disillusioned maybe."

Disillusioned. Harry had read about that, but he hadn't yet mastered the spell. He knew it was NEWT level. "How do we find him?"

 _How do you fight someone you can't see?_

The memory of the first night he met the Remnant group suddenly popped to mind. Mercury had heard him on the gravel. If he couldn't rely on his eyes, he had to hear. He remembered Emerald telling him to Silence his feet once when he was under the Cloak. It had never occurred to him to do so before.

"Cedric, stop moving and be quiet."

Cedric caught on quick. While he was mostly still, his wand was still raised. He controlled his breathing to try and catch something odd. They made sure to face different directions.

Nothing.

The headstone to their side exploded.

Harry hit the ground hard, landing on his arm rather badly. Fortunately, he was mostly only bruised. The Basilisk armour he had been wearing underneath had blocked anything from cutting his side, but some of the shards still cut his hands. It wasn't deep, so Harry ignored it.

" _Avada Kedavra_."

When Harry rolled back to his feet, Cedric was still on the ground. He wasn't moving. Some red spell hit Harry, but he ignored it and returned a Stunner of his own. He missed.

For minutes, nothing happened.

Harry doubted the assailant was gone. If he was in the graveyard in his dreams, then he was either fighting Voldemort, Pettigrew or that unknown third man. He was very sure he would know by now if it was Voldemort, so it wasn't him. Pettigrew was a coward, but a very sneaky one. He had no hope of finding a rat here.

 _Unless…It worked on the Horntail and that was a real animal…_

" _Accio Scabbers_."

There was a squeak from the side. When Harry spun around, the shadows moved. Something hard smashed into the side of his head.

Harry must have blacked out.

He woke up when something cut into his cheek.

"Blood of the enemy…Forcibly taken…You will resurrect your foe."

Harry noted he was tied up and very well at that. Pettigrew was a little distance away by a huge cauldron he knew hadn't been there before. A few tugs showed he wasn't going anywhere without the ropes being cut. Where was his wand?

Pettigrew wasn't paying him any attention. Even with his hazy sight from skewed glasses, Harry could see him shaking badly.

Choosing to try and feign unconsciousness, Harry lidded his eyes and tried to look around. When Pettigrew was on the opposite side of the cauldron, Harry took a gamble. His murmur was very quiet. He pictured what he was aiming for. He knew this spell well. But would it work?

 ** _Harry watched the three way match between Ren, Yang and Nora during one of their Combat Classes. It was insane what they could do. It never ceased to amaze him._**

 ** _After all of them save Mercury had left, who immediately requested the Room give him a forest with creatures Harry could only assume were Grimm attacking him, Harry approached Professor Ozpin._**

 ** _"Something bothering you Harry?" Professor Ozpin smiled._**

 ** _"Sort of…I'm not an expert on science, but well…Nora seemed to defy gravity there for a moment. How does that work?"_**

 ** _"How indeed?" He seemed both amused and intrigued. "I'm sure there is physics behind it Harry, but Nora doesn't know it. She just knows her limits from her experiences. She knows how to move to fall the way she wants. It helps for a good landing strategy."_**

 ** _"So it's not something to do with your aura?"_**

 ** _"It may be. It may not. It's not something that can be easily measured. A lot is trial and error. There is one lesson that many Huntsmen and Huntresses learn a variation of very early on and I think it would help you."_**

 ** _Harry just blinked. "What lesson is that?"_**

 ** _"Don't waste time trying to think of whether something is possible or not. Follow your instincts and ask the question later. Doubt is just as much your enemy in battle as an injury is."_**

Accidental magic could be called wandless magic. Hermione had said one instance of her accidental magic had been Summoning books to her that she couldn't reach on the bookshelf.

 _Typical Hermione._

" _Accio wand_."

To his absolute amazement, it worked. The wand in his hand was very familiar and welcome. It took a tiny bit of squirming to make sure he wasn't about to hurt himself. With his luck, he would miss the armour and hit himself.

" _Diffindo_."

When the ropes were cut, they vanished. Harry didn't immediately jump up. Cedric was still unmoving in the same place. Was he…He couldn't be…

Harry let out a shaky breath and focused. He needed a way out. The Cup was his best bet but where had it gone? It had to be nearby; the shockwave wasn't that strong.

Bubbling drew Harry's attention to the Goblet. A figure rose.

 _Lord Voldemort._

The face of terror itself. The creature that had haunted Harry's nightmares for years.

Lord Voldemort was alive and strong once again.

Harry kept his eyes closed. There was no thought in that, no attempt to play unconscious. He did not want to see his parents' murderer. A monster that had tried to kill him so many times. A monster that had gripped Britain in a state of fear so deep they were still afraid to say his name when they thought he was dead; when they thought Harry the Boy-Who-Lived.

 ** _"That it's an absolute scandal any idiot should have seen through?"_**

Harry's breathing calmed. How many times had he and his friends scoffed at the stupidity and cowardice of the Wizarding World? The students had been terrified of Harry for speaking Parseltongue. They were afraid of _everything_ they didn't understand or couldn't do.

 _Voldemort is a master duellist. He is very dangerous. That is obvious. But is he truly so unbeatable? I would love him to go a few rounds with one of the Remnant group. Mercury put it best._

That calmed him further. They were trained to kill monsters that had no sense of morality; monsters in every sense of the word. He remembered the woman that had bought Mercury a drink; the one he had warned them against ever meeting with. Someone Mercury was cautious of was dangerous, probably more so than Harry could imagine. He had still met with her.

 _Mercury was careful. He used his brain and didn't panic._

Panicking was the worst thing to do now.

Pettigrew blubbered as his blood dripped. Riddle paid him no attention.

"How many will come, I wonder? How many will respond to their Master's summons?"

Riddle placed his wand against Pettigrew's Dark Mark. The same Dark Mark that Harry had seen at the World Cup.

The scar exploded in pain. Harry forced himself not to visibly respond to it. He needed to use his brain; he needed not to panic.

Riddle chuckled. "You seem to have hit him quite hard, Wormtail. Or was it a Stunning spell? _Enervate_."

Wormtail had hit him, so the spell would have to be a little stronger than overcoming a Stunning spell. Could Harry get away with acting? He would try.

"It would seem you hit him but fortunately for you, he is still alive. For now, I will allow him to rest. He will need it and I wish to battle him fair."

Harry didn't see how someone who had over fifty years of knowledge of Dark Arts could possibly battle a fourteen year old fairly. That fear tried to dredge itself up, but Harry swatted it away without a thought.

Riddle chuckles. "My _true_ family returns…"

Harry had seen family. They had five separate surnames, but there was no doubt that was family. Death Eaters were not family. They were monsters, not humans. Riddle didn't see them as family. They were puppets, nothing more.

 _Pop._

The sound echoed throughout the graveyard. Many pops and many voices told Harry there were quite a few, but he didn't risk checking how many. The only fact that mattered was that he was outnumbered and outgunned. Harry needed to escape.

A quick glance showed Cedric still lying there, unmoved.

Harry couldn't help him.

Another glance showed him something that both terrified and disgusted him. They knelt and kissed Riddle's robes.

 _Malfoy's bow to no one, eh Draco? I wonder which one is your dad. Proud purebloods acting like dogs._

"Welcome my Death Eaters. Thirteen long years it has been and yet…it seems like only yesterday. As prompt as ever to your summons, I see. Which makes me wonder…"

There was a shiver in the circle.

Harry was still being ignored. He swiftly glanced around. The Cup was his best chance out of here. It was nowhere in sight.

"You claim loyalty. Why then, was I abandoned for thirteen years? Did I not say I was immortal? Yet none of you believed me. You chose to claim innocence, spread your gold as you spread your lies…I must confess myself disappointed. Did you not have faith in me? Did you believe that someone would have the power to kill me?"

They shifted, but no one answered.

"No response? How…expected with what you have become. You are worthless to me."

One of them dropped to the ground. "Master, please! Please forgive us!"

" _Crucio_." The incantation was said almost lazily. The voice that followed was hard. "Get up Avery. Thirteen years of betrayal. I would not think thirteen years of complete loyalty is much to ask for forgiveness?"

"Of course my Lord…Thank you my Lord-"

"Silence." There was no wind, yet the only sound was the rustle of robes. "I am not unreasonable. Wormtail here has already repaid part of his debt. It may not be due to loyalty…and yet he did what you never tried…" Riddle returned to Pettigrew. "You will find I will merciful and rewarding to those who deserve it."

Anger boiled inside Harry at that. All of Riddle's victims deserved life more than he did. Cedric, Lily and James Potter, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt, Alice and Frank Longbottom…There were so many. Merciful was not a word Riddle could be called.

Pettigrew had a new arm. His blubbering changed only to words. "Thank you my Lord. Thank you-"

"Your loyalty will not wane again."

"Of course not, my Lord. I will always-"

"Good." Riddle began to walk back to his followers. "Lucius, my slippery friend. Always thought to be the personification of Slytherin traits. I have been told that, while you present a respectable face, you have not renounced the old ways. You are still willing to engage in some harmless fun at the World Cup. Why did you not try to find your Master?"

 _Tell him Lucius. Tell him a Malfoy bows to no one. I wonder how your son will respond to the reality of serving the half-blood madman. Or do you not know that part? Come on Lucius. Show yourself as the coward you and your son are._

"My Lord, I was always on alert, always listening for something as small as whispers. Had I seen any sign-"

"Such as the Dark Mark shot into the sky last summer, perchance?" Again, Riddle was very casual. Malfoy Snr shut up. "Of course, you are not alone in that sin." Riddle moved again. "Crabbe, Goyle. You will do better next time."

"Of course my Lord. Merciful…Thank you-"

Riddle ignored them. He was staring at the space between them and Malfoy. "The Lestranges…They certainly earned their place here. They were always faithful. They will re-join us soon…Azkaban is no obstacle. My most faithful will be amongst us again soon. The dementors will join us like they did before…They are our natural allies…" Riddle seemed to frown at the next spot. "Nott's death is unfortunate…or perhaps it is fate. What happened, I wonder?" The final Death Eater. "Macnair. Wormtail tells me you destroy dangerous beats for the Ministry? I will certainly provide more fitting victims soon…"

"Thank you my Lord. Thank you."

Riddle had told Harry the identity of everyone there. They may be in masks, but they had confirmed it. Harry just needed to escape.

Riddle sighed. "Six more. Three dead in my service. One was too cowardly to return…One who I believe has left me forever…Both will pay. One who has remained my faithful servant these past thirteen years and even to this day…" Riddle chuckled. "He has delivered our young friend tonight."

Harry's eyes slipped shut before Riddle turned around. He still caught surprise on the Death Eaters' faces. Somehow, they hadn't seen him yet.

"Harry Potter, my guest of honour. Although Wormtail seemed a little too enthusiastic. I would prefer him awake, but I prefer our duel more equal more."

They hadn't noticed he was awake or that he was free. Think. Which way had the Cup gone? The memory played again in his mind.

"My Lord…" Malfoy Snr was very nervous. "If I may ask, how? We are curious to this miracle…How you were returned to us?"

"What a story it is Lucius. It begins with our young friend here." Riddle was quiet for a few seconds. "I see no need not to indulge you." Footsteps. They were getting closer. Riddle was right next to him. The burning in his scar was so intense, Harry was amazed it hadn't burst open. "This boy…My downfall? No…It was an oversight on my part. I tried to kill him that night. His mother gave her life in an attempt to save his…Ancient magic I must admit I overlooked. A protection that I could not touch. Yet now…"

Harry could see where this was going.

His response was instinctive.

" _Ossis effergo_."

Riddle had blocked it, but he had backed off. Harry immediately jumped to his feet, keeping a very tight grip on his wand.

He didn't expect Riddle to laugh.

"The Bone-Breaking Curse Harry? A good choice, I'll admit. I suggest you aim for the head next time. How long were you awake I wonder? A very Slytherin move."

 _Stall. I can't afford to guess the wrong direction._

"Well, if it wasn't for Draco Malfoy, that is where the Hat would have put me."

"Is that so?" That both amused and intrigued him. "We are even more alike than I originally thought."

Riddle may have been amused, but Lucius was not. He seemed furious. Harry saw that it was petty, but he didn't really care right now.

"Alike?!" Harry spat the word out. "We're not alike. I'm as similar to you as we are to a cockroach." He would have to thank Qrow for that comparison later. "You see muggles as not worthy to live? I see you and Death Eaters not worthy to live."

"A pity. I would have offered you a place Harry. That trick was certainly worthy of recognition."

Harry didn't answer. He just glared.

" _Crucio._ "

Harry rolled to the side. He fired a Stunner back, then mentally cursed himself after he did so. Riddle was surrounded by followers. They would merely wake him up even if it did work.

The next Cruciatus hit. The armour absorbed most of it, but not all of it. Harry hissed and stumbled.

" _Imperio_."

The armour was no defence against that.

"Answer me Harry. Are you ready to die?"

 _Yes…Just say yes…_

Harry grit his teeth. "I am not dying here!"

The words echoed throughout the graveyard. As if cold water had been thrown over him, the carefree feeling he had barely noticed was gone. The ache from the Cruciatus returned but that could be dealt with. The silence followed.

The Death Eaters were completely still.

"Is that what you believe Harry? How delusional."

Maybe it was. Maybe Harry would die here. It was thirty to one. He was fighting someone who had cheated death; someone who was over five times his age. Cedric was already dead. His parents had been killed by this madman.

For them, he was going to at least die resisting their killer.

He aimed for the head.

" _Ossis effergo!_ "

" _Avada Kedavra!_ "

One dark blue beam. One bright green beam. They collided.

Unlike before, they didn't cancel each other out. They locked. Blue vs green, with neither gaining any space. The wand was jerking so violently and yet Harry couldn't let go even if he wanted to. Riddle's wand was doing the same thing. In an instant, the thread was completely gold, with no distinction of where the two previous colours had begun and ended.

To add to the confusion, Harry felt his feet leave the ground. The gold stretched out, encasing them in a cage that the Death Eaters couldn't get through. They circled like animals, but neither they nor the snake could get through.

It was just Riddle and Harry.

"Do nothing!" Riddle snarled, silencing his followers. Red eyes were agitated, darting around the cage occasionally. He was just as amazed. "He's mine to finish!"

 _Is that…a phoenix song? Fawkes?_

It wasn't Fawkes. The song was so similar, but it wasn't Fawkes. Hope still grew in his chest. Hope not just for survival, but for joy.

Harry focused. His wand had been red hot, almost scorching his skin, but as he steadied it, it cooled slightly. Riddle's wand was vibrating more powerfully now. The gold thread remained but there was a grey smoke. It gathered, slowly taking form until…

 _Cedric? I'm sorry…_

It was Cedric. He wasn't a ghost, but…He studied the gold line, then turned to look at Harry. He smiled.

"Keep holding on Harry."

An echo, like hearing a voice at the end of a tunnel. Harry nodded. He didn't think he could let go if he tried.

Again the grey smoke gathered before forming shape. Harry had never met him, but he had seen him before: the old man from his dream that wasn't a dream.

"A real wizard eh? Didn't think they existed. Killed me, he did. You fight him boy."

The next figure was one Harry did and didn't recognise. He had seen her before but only briefly and not in detail. A picture or a newspaper. It disappointed him he couldn't remember.

"Don't let go Harry. Don't let him get you."

Harry's arm was still shaking greatly, but he ignored it. His instincts wouldn't let go. He focused instead on a distant memory as he waited…no…prayed. But they were pacing and there was a gap that wasn't there with the others…

 _Can I see them? Just this once?_

Finally. The next was a woman…and a woman he knew. The face of his mother…

She placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt solid yet not. "Your father's coming. He wants to see you…You've grown so much Harry…It'll be all right."

 _Mom…_

The man…The first thing Harry noted was the untidy hair just like his…Tall and proud.

"Harry, when the connection is broken, you must get to the portkey. It'll take you back to Hogwarts, back to your friends. We can only linger a few moments to buy you time. Understand?"

Dumbly, Harry nodded. He couldn't find his voice.

In honesty, he had forgotten about the portkey. He could see it now, but the Death Eaters were in line of an Accio Charm. He could do this…Make his parents' sacrifice not in vain…

"Harry…" Even distant, Harry could tell Cedric's voice was hesitant. "Will you take my body back? Back to my parents?"

Again, Harry nodded. He couldn't leave Cedric here.

Dad put a hand on his other shoulder. Mum spoke.

"Now Harry. Let go now."

Suddenly aware of the absolute agony in his arm, Harry instinctively wrenched his arm upwards. In one snap, the cage vanished and the song stopped. Reality awoke in his mind.

Harry ran. He didn't look back.

For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then jets of light shot passed him as spells missed their mark. Without thinking or looking back to aim, Harry flicked his wand behind him.

" _Confringo!_ _Ossis effergo! Confringo!_ "

Whether they were yells of surprise or yells of pain, Harry didn't care.

"Stun him!"

Harry ignored Riddle too. Only now did it occur to him that Riddle had been terrified when they were in that cage. While Harry had gained comfort, Riddle had not. Riddle almost seemed panicked, but he didn't put any effort into thinking why.

Harry's fingers wrapped around Cedric's wrist. He was cold.

" _Accio Cup!_ "

That tug. This time, it was very welcome.

"Harry!"

So many voices. It took a few seconds to realise exactly where he was. The bright lights immediately reassured him he was back at Hogwarts, but it was when the blades of the grass registered that it clicked.

Relief. He was safe.

"He's back."

* * *

It had been a long time since anyone had angered Qrow this much. Even General Ironwood wasn't this infuriating. That was saying a lot. Then again, they were usually arguing him out of responding to everything by blowing it up.

This 'Minister' was insane.

First off, Madam Bones had had to drive off a dementor that Fudge wanted as his 'personal bodyguard'. Then he claimed Bones was trying to kill him. When they finally made it to the prisoner, it turned out he was an escaped convict that had managed to put Harry in the tournament solely so he could resurrect Voldemort.

It was at that point that the Minister went from denial to delusional.

Qrow was almost impressed with his imagination.

Oz was pinching his eyebrows. "Madam Bones, I hesitate to ask, but is the Minister's presence really necessary? This does fall under your department."

Fortunately, the Minister was too busy arguing with Ruby over whether the fact no wand and no body meant no death to notice their discussion.

Bones was glaring at the idiot. "Ordinarily I would say yes as this is a matter of magical and muggle security. However, we are very short on time, so I will give him my final report later. We only have the follow up questions anyhow."

"How soon can we get to Little Hangleton?"

"I honestly don't know. If he isn't delusional and there are also Death Eaters there, then I'll need reinforcements."

Dumbledore stepped forward. He opened his mouth but, before he could speak, a winged fox came through the door. Impressive seeing as it wasn't open. It went to Ruby, who ignored the Minister and placed a hand on its head.

"Whose Patronus is that?" Bones asked.

"No one's," Qrow responded. To his surprise and dismay, tears started to swell in Ruby's eyes. He walked forward and pulled her into a hug. "What is it kiddo?"

Ruby swallowed, but twisted her head to look at Bones. "That was from Mercury. Harry's back with Cedric's…his…" She took a deep breath. "Cedric's b-body. Harry says Voldemort's back."

Cedric was dead.

Voldemort was back.

Ozpin broke the brief silence. "That is two witnesses. If Harry's story matches Barty Crouch Jnr's completely and agrees to Veritaserum, then we can't cover this up."

Fudge waved an impatient hand. "The boy is delusional and a liar."

"Where'd you get that idea from?" Ruby asked with a frown. Even through her tears, she sounded angry. Qrow covered her mouth to prevent her from snapping at the fool further.

"Have you not read the reports of the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

"Oh you mean Skeeter?" Qrow asked idly. "The woman who was constantly getting Harry's age wrong and somehow managed to interview someone she has never met twice? We were debating whether or not to sue her for slander when she stopped reporting before the Second Task."

"Miss Skeeter is a well-respected journalist-"

"No she isn't," Bones snapped. "This is going nowhere. I already had a meeting with Mr Potter today, but I hope he doesn't mind if that topic is postponed for the moment. This is a matter that affects the entire Wizarding World and so I will investigate it."

Fudge growled. "I will have your job Amelia-"

"Not without an 80% agreement of the Wizengamot you won't. This became a kidnapping case the moment those two touched the Cup and didn't appear. Mr Cedric Diggory was alive when he left; many witnesses can testify to that. You cannot stop this Cornelius and I recommend you don't try. If Voldemort has returned, he is a threat to everyone."

"He's. Not. Back!"

"The current evidence suggests that he is. Miss Rose, did Mercury say where Mr Potter currently is?"

"He said they were taking him to the Hospital Wing. C-Cedric's still with his dad." Ruby buried her head into Qrow's chest. He gently rubbed her back.

"Ruby, let me take you back to the dorm."

Ruby shook her head. "I want to see Harry's okay. And make sure Snape doesn't get too carried away when he finally carries out his threat."

Bones managed to hear that mumble. "What are you talking about Miss Rose?"

Dumbledore definitely stepped in then. No need to tell the Head of the DMLE that his Potions Professor threatens students with a Ministry controlled substance all the time.

"Let us go see Harry now so he can get some rest. It would also be wise to get Alastor to the Hospital Wing."

"Agreed."

"One last question, Professor Dumbledore." Ozpin turned back to Crouch Jnr. "Did you put Mercury's name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No."

So that was still a mystery. It probably was some prank from the students and him taking the three school limit off made it possible. A question for another day.

On the walk to the Hospital Wing, McGonagall and Fudge argued. Snape was next to them, but was silent. Ruby was glued to Qrow's side, clutching the fox in her arms tightly. It was a lot more animated than Qrow would think, especially as its eyes weren't grey. The pair were at the back of the group with Bones, Oz and Dumbledore.

"Madam Bones, you said before that you were planning to meet with Harry today?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes."

"May I ask what topic?"

"Strictly confidential, I'm afraid."

"As Harry is underage, he would need his guardian present."

"We both know that is not necessarily true. He merely needed an adult. I was going to ask Professor Ozpin as I intended to meet with him today also, if Mr Potter agreed. It was convenient to meet with them both on the same day."

Qrow was going to take a wild guess and think the topic was Sirius Black.

The Hospital Wing wasn't far, probably because DADA was the class the students were most likely to get injured in. Quidditch would probably rate higher though.

It was a red head invasion in the Hospital Wing. Even Ron was there. The Beacon students were giving them room, as it was obvious Harry had a lot of visitors. Including a black dog lying next to the bed. The rest of their kids were there too, although Amber and Glynda weren't.

"Mr Potter, Cruciatus exposure is not what I would call mild!" Madam Pomfrey sounded very exasperated.

"It didn't do much! Madam Pomfrey, I don't need it. I need to speak to someone in the Ministry!"

"If you think you're leaving that bed young man, think again. I am seriously considering labelling this one as yours."

"No need Madam Pomfrey," Emerald cut in. "They've come here."

Almost as one, everyone turned to look at them. Ruby walked to Yang as the fox faded. Yang pulled her into her arms, moving so she was sitting closer to Emerald and Mercury.

"Professor Dumbledore, Mr Potter needs his rest."

"I'm sorry Poppy, but this can't wait." Dumbledore had decided he was the spokesman. "Harry, you have met Minister Fudge. This is Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE."

Harry nodded. "I'm willing to take Veritaserum, Madam Bones. About this and…" his eyes flickered at Fudge… "Our original topic."

Bones Conjured a chair next to the bed with the dog moving to give her room. He merely jumped up onto the sheets.

"Just what happened tonight will do for now."

"But I-"

Like a dog with a bone, Fudge wasn't giving up. "Amelia, you know that Veritaserum is not reliable in court. It can be countered."

"By a boy who has exposed to the Cruciatus, has no reason to lie and has been through a traumatic experience? Also, we are not at trial. We are currently establishing facts and a timeline. Veritaserum is allowed at questioning."

Snape stepped forward with the vial. "Open Potter."

Harry studied it very suspiciously. Then he glanced around and, leaning against the headboard, opened his mouth. Three drops.

"How do we know if it's working?"

Mercury spoke up there. "When we talking about Voldemort last week, what did I say about respecting him? Word for word."

Qrow let out a low chuckle.

"'The thing was very impressive to get an anagram feared for over a decade, but all respect vanished when he failed to conquer the sheeple within six months'." Harry blinked, then rubbed his head as he groaned. "Does it usually come with a headache?"

The magicals weren't listening. They were staring at Harry and Mercury with gobsmacked expressions.

"I assume that is correct Mercury?" Oz asked, half exasperated and half amused.

"Word for word," Mercury nodded with a small smirk.

Dumbledore sighed. "Mr Black-"

"I thought you were here to interrogate Harry," Mercury interrupted. "I'm sure our Ministry friends have other things to do and Madam Pomfrey isn't happy we're bothering her favourite patient."

"Agreed." Bones nodded. Her eyes had been on Mercury, not on Harry. When she turned back to Harry, she barely got three questions out before Fudge interrupted again.

"Come now Amelia. I told you this was a waste of time. Potter was Confunded when Black escaped Hogwarts."

"Black escaped Hogwarts? When was this Minister? Why have I not heard this from you before?" That shut the idiot up. "I have found no files on a trial on Sirius Black and so the Kiss-on-Sight is illegal. If it was Peter Pettigrew Mr Potter saw, then that case will be reopened. Now Mr Potter, what happened after Pettigrew fired the first Killing Curse?"

At the description of Voldemort, Fudge went green. When Harry named the Death Eaters, he again interrupted.

"He could have got those off of old case files! They were under the Imperius Curse, everyone knows that!"

"Can I gag him?" Mercury asked, almost eagerly. It was saddening that the other Beacon students barely reacted. In fact, Ren and Yang were glaring at Fudge.

"No," Professor Ozpin replied absentmindedly. Qrow on the other hand was entertaining the thought. "Harry, what were the actual words in the conversation between Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort?"

Fudge's face grew even redder. "Surely you're not believing these delusions Amelia?!"

"I have no evidence against and I currently have testimony supporting. Professor Dumbledore, could you show me where Little Hangleton graveyard is?"

"I will," Dumbledore agreed. "Now Harry. What happened after Voldemort finished speaking to his followers?"

Harry had a good head on his shoulders. He hadn't panicked and had responded very well in a stressful situation. That was no surprise given his past experiences, but there were several things that caught Qrow's interest.

The obvious things were the locked wands. However, there were very few Death Eaters that arrived. Were the others merely opportunists? Or were there really so few? If it wasn't a forewarning of Voldemort, why had they attack the campsite? Had they just got drunk or bored?

Fudge scoffed when Harry was finished. "What a fanciful tale."

Bones placed the dicto-quill and parchment into her bag. "We'll see. A Bone-Breaker Curse and a Blasting Hex Mr Potter?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you. I will be in touch."

A Bone-Breaker Curse and a Blasting Hex…If those hit, then the victim would almost certainly need medical treatment. They may even need to go to the hospital. That could be checked. At least he wasn't throwing Stunners or Disarming spells.

"Thank you Madam Bones," Dumbledore nodded.

Bones ignored him and headed to the door. She stopped when she reached them and turned back. "Mr Black, that chimaera was a class XXXXX beast. Are you going to use the same harvester as before or would you like the Ministry to find one?"

Mercury chuckled. "I think you have enough on your plate. I'll handle it."

"Very well. Professor Ozpin-"

"I understand. I'll await your contact."

"Much obliged."

She left. With a glare, Fudge followed her out.

Qrow rubbed his head. "Okay seriously. How is _he_ your Minister?"

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "Alas he was not even the third choice. He might not have even been the fourth. However, there is nothing we can do about that for the moment. We can hope that Madam Bones can get through to him." Qrow very much doubted that. "However, I do believe it's time for Harry to get some rest."

Everyone knew a dismissal when they heard one. Yang put Ruby on her feet, but it took both her and Emerald to get her moving. The others followed suit. Professor Ozpin led the way back to the dorm they were shared.

Qrow followed, staying close to his four kids. Ruby and Yang had been closest to Cedric, despite his friends' attempts to chase them off. Cedric himself stopped that and was at least on good terms with all of them. His death was going to be hard to take. Qrow hadn't heard Nora or Yang say a word yet.

Once at the dorm, Oz caught his eye. He seemed very sorrowful.

"Qrow-"

"This isn't your fault Oz. It's no one's fault."

These kids had just been forced into a war. A war that wasn't even theirs.

"If they choose to return to Hogwarts next year, it would be easy to have Glynda here as their tutor to watch over them. I just don't think it's going to be enough. I'm very sorry about Ruby."

"She may have been dragged here even if she didn't attend Beacon. We'll never know. I just want to finish this before…"

 _Before Ruby's innocence is destroyed…She is not ready for true war yet. I hope she never will be._

"Get some rest Qrow. I think we all need it."

It wasn't going to be easy to protect them. Qrow was going to do his damned best to try.

* * *

 **AN: That brings the Tri-Wizard Tournament to a close.**

 **I know in some crossovers the villains tend to work together. Cinder won't work with Voldemort in this fic, mostly because it isn't in her best interest. I also don't think the two of them could be in the same room for very long without attacking each other.**


	11. School's Out for Summer

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

Harry kicked a stone as he walked down the street. He was in a bad mood.

He had been writing letters to Sirius, Hermione, Ginny and Neville. Hermione and Ginny were together somewhere they couldn't say and they were giving him no information whatsoever. He sent Hedwig to Hermione to carry letters to her and Ginny (occasionally Ron) due to Hermione's opinion on house elves. His letters to Sirius remained the same as they had before; Harry was more interested in his family. Those were delivered by Dobby when Sirius was alone. Harry didn't think anyone knew about that.

However, most of Harry's anger came from Neville's letter. Their letters weren't necessarily long, but they always had a calming effect on Harry.

 _Until today._

It was mentioned as a post script, but Neville had written that his grandmother was still waiting on Harry for a timetable for his political, social and financial lessons. Harry had written to her three times, but apparently she hadn't gotten a single one.

Harry and Hermione had wondered about some sort of mail ward when Yang had brought up fan mail. The fact Hermione had received hate mail while Harry had not certainly supported that. Someone had been messing with his mail.

Harry was furious.

Hermione, Ginny and Ron were the current targets of his anger. Dumbledore too.

With a frustrated growl, he slumped onto a swing set.

Harry didn't remember the days following the Third Task too well. He remembered meeting the Diggorys, who didn't blame him for Cedric's death and thanked him for returning him. He remembered giving the winnings to the Weasley Twins. He remembered Dumbledore's speech.

It hadn't been long before the anger began to set in.

There had been nothing in the Daily Prophet about Riddle. 'Events are under investigation', even three weeks later. Harry hadn't managed to bring himself to see that version of the Quibbler, but they had tried to take a neutral tone using only facts. Those facts supported Harry's claims, but the Ministry were really dragging their feet.

"Well what do we have here?"

Harry groaned. He fist curled. A fight would let off some steam. He wasn't really in the mood though. He wanted to take his anger out on something, but he didn't want to get into a fight. Harry wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Hey Big D. Beat up another ten year old?"

"He deserved it."

"A ten year old? Five on one?" A familiar and welcome voice. "That's your level?"

The reason that Harry didn't bother writing letters to the Remnant group was because he saw them nearly every day. They had overheard him calling them the Dursleys and had tracked his address through the phone book using Petunia and Vernon.

So far, he had seen all of the students at different points, though mostly Yang and Blake. They had kept him up to speed with everything they knew, which was more than he thought, but not enough. Professor Ozpin had met with Madam Bones yesterday, so maybe something was happening. He had seen Ruby yesterday and they had ended up joking about starting a race with several Knight Buses.

Today it was Mercury, who had Talaria with him. She might be a little difficult to explain if someone saw her.

"Who's this Potty? One of your friends?"

Talaria turned her head to stare at Mercury and whined. Mercury studied them with a gaze Harry recognised. This was going to be good.

"Maybe. They're not good sport though."

That didn't seem to deter her. Talaria was now glaring at each of the five in turn, weighing up her prey. She licked her teeth.

Dudley stared at it with a hint of fear. If Mercury was with Harry, then that was probably some freakish animal. "What is that?"

"Something that likes the taste of human meat."

Harry hid a smile. While he was very sure Talaria had never tasted human flesh before, she was a Peruvian Vipertooth and that was her favourite food.

Piers scoffed. "You expect us to believe that?"

"Come over here and say that."

Talaria opened her jaws. It might just be Harry's imagination, but it looked like she was smiling. A shiver went down his spine.

It was obvious they were afraid of her. That was probably why they decided to attack Mercury. Dudley, in an uncharacteristic display of intelligence, chose to hang back at first. That only lasted until his friend hit the ground and he jumped into the fray.

Harry didn't bother to get up.

Within eight seconds, all five were knocked out on the ground. Talaria hadn't moved. Mercury was a close combat fighter and had easily managed to take them all down. It was rather anticlimactic.

It did leave a problem.

"Mercury, awesome job but we can't leave them here."

Mercury hummed. "True. Where's the nearest pay phone?" Harry pointed to the corner. It wasn't too far. "Useful." Curious, Harry followed and watched him type in 999. "Recently there's been a streak of vandalism and assault of minors in Little Whinging. Five suspects are detained at the public park on Hearth Street…Around fifteen…Their words were ten years old…A concerned citizen." Mercury hung up.

"You really think they're going to care?" Harry asked. What was he up to? Dudley was definitely not going to jail.

"Probably not." Mercury smirked. "But I'm thinking they're not very smart."

Mercury was right.

The police turned up in about ten minutes. By then, Dudley and his gang had woken up. They hadn't bothered to leave the park and were instead stalking around yelling threats at the top of their voices. Apparently they thought Harry was going to stick around and let himself get beaten up. While Harry and Mercury had stuck around, they were out of sight and watching with amusement.

The police were less amused. Had they chosen to answer the questions calmly, then the officers would be on their way in minutes. Dudley instead threw a punch. It took two officers to get him in the car. The rest of the gang decided to do the worst thing and try to get him out by force.

Five minutes later, the five were in the back of retreating police cars.

That was very cathartic.

"Is he going to jail?"

Mercury chuckled. "Probably just for the night. He'll be fine and back on the streets…maybe tomorrow. Depends how long he can keep his mouth shut."

"He can't. Uncle Vernon's going to want him out though."

"…Maybe the end of the week."

"And what am I supposed to tell Aunt Petunia?" Although, the worst she could do was shriek at him. Dudley was going to blab as soon as he was out.

"That I'm a hooligan you met at whatever school they claim you went to?"

"St Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys."

Mercury burst out laughing. "Appropriate. That'll work."

Harry didn't want to think about his welcoming committee. "So what's changed?"

"What, no 'hi how are you'?" Mercury shook his head exasperatedly at Harry's glare. "Good to see you too. Officially, Bones and Ozpin met to talk likes and dislikes. Unofficially, things at the Ministry are a bit of a mess. The epitaphs were smashed by an aimed blast, Crabbe and Goyle turned up at St Mungo's with stone in their arms and chest, Malfoy is locked up in his office with Fudge and with the lie detector…Quite a few believe you were kidnapped and attacked by someone. Everyone's a little stubborn on who. Their argument is that you were too young to remember what he looked like."

Harry growled. Idiots. Riddle was back and they were wasting time arguing!

"Any good news?"

"Fudge's smear campaign is working more against him than for him. He's coming across at a petty, vindictive child."

Harry frowned. He did remember Blake telling him about a week into the summer about the scandal in the Daily Prophet. He had been beyond furious. His anger at that hadn't abated at all.

"Is there any way to throw him out of office?"

"Harry," Mercury began in a tone that made him feel like he was two years old. "We are dealing with a world that is willing to marry their cousins to keep hold of their power. It's like pulling blood from a stone. The only good thing is that the Minister can't get rid of Bones."

Harry winced. "So what can I do?"

Mercury shrugged. "For now, do not go insane with frustration."

"Mercury-"

"Harry, I'm serious. I don't like waiting either, so I use my time productively. Make plans; study what spells you can chain; anything. Right now-"

Talaria arched her back and growled.

Mercury broke off.

Harry listened too. If Talaria sensed a threat, where was it? All Harry could see was his breath-And the cold.

 _Dementors._

Harry's wand was in his hand. Mercury caught it. Harry stared.

"Mercury, dementors!"

"I guessed. I want to try something. Get ready, but let me try first."

 _What are you talking about?!_

They were in a large area. Harry saw the dementors at least ten seconds before they came too close. Nine…

Harry blinked, startled.

 _What the-_

A huge silver-white dragon had appeared out of thin air, wrapped around them. The same colour as the shark from the Second Task. What the hell was this thing? It shook its head, growled, charged and-

 _What._

Harry's hands immediately covered his ears. That screech was inhuman; a banshee. The cloak rustled and shredded. The dementors thrashed in the dragon's jaws. One shake and it vanished in a flash of silver-white.

 _What._

The other dementor fled. The dragon chased it and caught up. This one didn't scream as it was annihilated.

 _What._

Mercury blinked as the dragon vanished. "Huh. I was expecting it to repel them, not kill them."

 _What._

"Winky."

The small pop of a familiar house elf snapped Harry out of his one word thoughts. "Sir call Winky?"

"Change of plans Winky. Harry's coming back with me."

"Yes Sir. One moment Sir." The elf popped away.

After a few tries, Harry found his voice. "Mercury, what just happened? You can't kill dementors!"

"Evidently I can. Interesting." The elf popped back in with a slip of paper. "Take a look Harry. You need to see it."

Harry absentmindedly took the paper. The words barely registered: 'Scapolite Sanctuary'. The paper then vanished.

"What…" The air warmed again. With it, Harry's brain began working again. "I can't leave."

"Harry, if this is your definition of 'safe', then your definition is even more fascinating than mine. We need to go. Either you're outside the wards or they're not working."

"The Dursleys-"

"Will be at the police station or on their way there. Those dementors came straight for you, not for a muggle. I can't think of a reason why you would care, but they're going to be fine."

"If Riddle sent them-"

"Riddle?" Mercury chuckled. "So naïve. Possible I suppose, but I doubt it. Later Harry. We need to go."

Harry looked around and was about to continue arguing until he realised what he was doing. This was his chance to get away from the Dursleys. "Hedwig."

"Winky, would you mind getting Hedwig and Harry's things after you've dropped us off?"

"Of course Sir."

Now Harry had no more complaints.

Travelling by house elf was odd. It was odd because Harry didn't feel any different. One moment he was in the park; the next he was standing outside a grand house. Oddly, he could have sworn he saw Mrs Figg in the distance just before he left.

"So this is how you've been getting to Surrey." Fidelius Charm, Harry realised. The slip of paper must have been written by their Secret Keeper.

"We're in Dorset Harry. It's a bit far. If we're lucky, we can catch Madam Bones before she leaves."

Harry followed Mercury at a run.

/

12 Grimmauld Place was in an uproar.

Mundungus had left his post when guarding Harry. He had only returned five minutes ago to find Mrs Figg in a fury. She told him that Harry had vanished ten minutes before and had only let him go without more response as someone needed to tell the Order.

Since then, everyone was yelling at each other.

Sirius slipped out. He walked quickly upstairs, Silencing his feet as he passed the kids' rooms, and locked the bedroom door behind him.

"Dobby."

Dobby popped in. "You call Dobby, Master Siri Black?"

"Dobby, do you know where Harry is?"

Dobby shook his head. "Dobby doesn't. Is Master Harry Potter in trouble?"

"That's what I need to know Dobby. Go find him!"

Dobby was already gone. Sirius paced as he tried to calm down. Damn Mundungus. Sirius was going to wring his neck! No, that would send him back to Azkaban. He couldn't help Harry from Azkaban.

 _Is Harry safe? Who took him and why? Please don't hurt him._

After nine excruciating seconds, Dobby returned with a sheet of paper. The elf's relaxed temperament calmed Sirius a little. After Sirius took it, he popped away. He had never been more pleased to see his godson's untidy scrawl, even if it was more untidy than normal.

'Busy Sirius. Currently safe under Fidelius. Attacked by dementors, Mercury killed them and I'm at their place. Harry.'

Harry was safe and with his friends. That group had protected and supported him during the tournament. Sirius trusted them with Harry.

The icy fist squashing his heart finally relaxed.

There was a knock on the door, startling Sirius out of a frozen state he didn't realise he was in. A quick Tempus charm told him he had been in the bedroom for six minutes. With a wave of his wand, he unlocked the door.

Remus poked his head in. "Sirius? Are you okay?"

"Fine." His friend didn't look convinced, so Sirius held the letter out for him to take. Remus read it and visibly relaxed. "How did you get this?"

"We've been using Dobby as an owl. That elf wouldn't get it wrong."

"A house elf as an owl? Genius. We need to tell the others. Quite a few are about to head to Privet Drive."

 _Only at least twenty minutes late._

When Sirius reluctantly returned to the kitchen, Dumbledore had been called and was giving out orders. Unfortunately for Sirius, it was Snape who spotted him first.

"Of course Headmaster. Some of us are of use, after all. Even if it is for the spoilt brat."

Sirius didn't rise to Snape's bait or Molly's glare. He was seriously regretting allowing Grimmauld Place to be used as Headquarters, but at least he was (mostly) kept in the loop. He merely raised the letter.

"So you're not interested in saving time on a pointless search?"

All attention went to him.

Snape sneered. "And you want us to believe you have received a letter from the brat in the last ten minutes?"

Sirius glared. "Careful Snivellus. You're coming dangerously close to angering me."

"Gentlemen," Dumbledore interrupted. "How did you get that Sirius?"

"That's our secret." Harry had asked about mail wards and the fact he couldn't get in contact with Madam Longbottom bothered him. "Do you want to see it or not?"

"Sirius Black!"

Dumbledore interrupted the harpy as well, to Sirius' relief. "Sirius, if you would?"

Sirius shrugged and handed it over. Dumbledore read it and frowned. He flipped it over in case there was something on the back, then flipped it over and read it again.

"You are certain this was written by Harry?"

"Very." Dobby wouldn't get it wrong.

The note started to get passed around. There were a lot of scathing scoffs and the common comment was something that Sirius had barely noticed. Snape was the one who set the next argument off.

"Now he is claiming that this Black can kill dementors. Are we sure this boy is not delusion Headmaster? His tales are getting taller."

The yells started again.

Sirius left the kitchen again and headed back for the bedroom. He was not in the mood for an argument in which nothing would be done in the end. Harry was safe with his friends. He would be happier there. Sirius had hated that Dumbledore had insisted Harry should go to his relatives and, despite hating this house, he had been looking forward to seeing him again.

Sirius had only just locked the door when Dobby appeared with another letter. "From Master Harry Potter."

"Thanks Dobby."

"Should Dobby tidy up the house?"

"If you want."

Dobby bowed and popped away. Sirius wished him luck with dealing with Kreacher and unfolded the letter. This one was longer and the handwriting was much better. Harry hadn't been as stressed when he wrote this, so he was calming down. Good.

'Hey Sirius

Sorry about the last letter. I'll try again.

It was Mercury who visited today. A little while later, we were attacked by two dementors. I was about to use a Patronus when he stopped me, saying he wanted to try something and I would still have time to respond if it didn't work. I let him. He seemed to summon a sort of Patronus of his own (what it really was is a long story they have only managed to tell me half of so far), but it worked. It killed the dementors.

Is it possible for a Patronus to kill a dementor? Madam Bones didn't seem to think so.

Madam Bones was meeting Professor Ozpin today and was still there when I arrived, so I told her. She said she would look into it. Neither of us are in trouble. She also said she believed you are innocent, but thinks the best chance of a proper trial would be after Fudge leaves office.

They invited me to stay here for the rest of the holidays and I agreed. Sorry, but I don't want to go back to the Dursleys, especially after the (non-magical) trick we played on them. They're living under a Fidelius so I can't tell you where. As Qrow said, how can a house that they were able to track down so easily be safer than a house under Fidelius?

They did invite you to come and stay as well if you wanted.

I know that the Weasleys and Hermione are with you and that you are under Fidelius. I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with the Order either. The Remnant group were aware I was being followed, but couldn't tell me until I got here. I could have lived with that (grudgingly) if it wasn't for the fact they weren't there when I needed them.

I have two questions: was Mrs Figg in the Order last time and why did she never tell me about magic when she was babysitting for me?

Don't worry about me.

Harry

P.S. I mentioned the house elf you told me about to the group to see if they could help. Zephyr suggested to play on his duty to his Mistress and your brother'

Sirius tucked the letter into his robes. He wasn't sharing this one with the others.

Harry was staying with them for the holidays. Sirius was okay with that, although anyone would be better than the Dursleys. They did have a point about the Fidelius Charm. Sirius made a note to point out magic could be done under the Fidelius if they didn't already know it.

Harry also wasn't wrong about the Order. They had seriously screwed up where he was concerned.

It was another ten minutes before Sirius considered the main question.

His immediate answer was yes. He would be out of this damn house and he would be able to spend time with his godson. It wasn't as if he had been of any use to the Order. As long as he was a wanted man, that wasn't going to change. Having waited fourteen years for his freedom, he could wait until Fudge got chucked out of office. That would be quite soon.

The main problem was the Order. They didn't necessarily need Sirius here to use the house, but Sirius didn't trust Molly and her group in the house alone. The house did need cleaning, but the kids should be allowed to do magic. With some of the creatures that had moved in, it was very dangerous if they didn't. Sirius did not want to know how Molly intended to deal with the doxies downstairs without magic.

He read the P.S. again. Kreacher had been a menace from the beginning. If he could get the insane elf working with him, he might be able to get away. As much as he hated it, if he could get away from this damn house, he could try. No doubt Kreacher would want the same thing.

"Kreacher."

As a sign of defiance, the elf appeared a second later than it should. "Nasty Master calls Kreacher? Oh what Mistress would say-?"

"Your Mistress would be furious you have allowed the house to get into such a state," Sirius snapped. "Even Regulus' room is an absolute mess." The name had caught in his throat, but that only added to his fury. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The elf fell silent, staring at Sirius with wide eyes.

 _This Zephyr may have had a point._

Those wide eyes narrowed and the elf sneered. "Nasty Master says Master Regulus…He is not worthy to say his name."

Sirius swallowed his retort, but his response was a growl. "The same could be said for you Kreacher. You are completely unable to follow even the most basic of orders and cannot keep a house clean."

Kreacher growled back at him. "Kreacher tried. Kreacher couldn't do it."

 _The elf is beyond insane._

"Tried to do what Kreacher? Kill your Master?" Bizarrely enough, the elf didn't sneer back even though he had the opportunity to. "Follow this Kreacher: take all the books in the house and bring them here. Seal the room afterwards so no one but you can come in and you will answer when I call."

"Yes blood traitor master." The elf popped away before Sirius could throw him out of the room.

Sirius flexed his wrist and counted to twenty to calm down. He grabbed a sheet of paper and began to write a reply to Harry. He was definitely interested in taking them up on their invitation, but he had a few things to do first.

The house was full of dark objects that shouldn't be handled by children at all. He would go through the books, save the useful and incinerate the ones that were too Dark. With Dobby's help, he would go through the other rooms and sort through the worst objects before the kids got to them. If the offer was still open, he would take it up then.

In reality, Sirius wanted nothing to do with this house and would happily burn it to the ground. However, the Order did need somewhere to meet. It was clear they considered him a liability, so he was happy to go.

He wanted to find his communication mirrors first.

The books appeared. There were suspiciously more than Sirius remembered there being. Apparently Kreacher had been more successful at hiding them than Sirius thought.

After handing Dobby the letter to deliver, Sirius picked up the first book. Within the fifth chapter, he mentally placed it in the 'incinerate' column. This was going to be sickening, but once he was done in this house, he would be leaving it.

That could not be soon enough.

* * *

Madam Bones was having a very hectic summer.

Her investigation into Harry's claims of Voldemort's return had been slow and was stalled at every turn. There was much evidence to support that claim, but much of it was circumstantial. The problem was that the Death Eaters Harry had named were very well connected and had a lot of money. Getting them convicted of anything was going to be a nightmare even if they were caught at a crime scene with a Dark Mark in the air in full Death Eater regalia.

The dementors were another mess. She had been very doubtful of the story Mercury had managed to kill them (if by accident) but after a debate on how his Guardian Form worked, it could sort of be compared to a Patronus. It had taken an hour to try and figure the results out, with much of it being guess work. It was an interesting subject.

After leaving the house, Madam Bones immediately contacted Azkaban. There were currently two dementors missing. No one knew where they were. In the paperwork, there was an order for them to head to Surrey and Kiss a wizard (and those papers had _not_ been easy to find). Harry Potter was the only wizard in the area. They had been ordered there by someone high up in the Ministry. Despite suspicions, there was no evidence on who was responsible.

This would explain the whispers around the Ministry that Harry Potter was dead. Madam Bones chose not to acknowledge these rumours. Whoever started them was connected to the dementors being there.

Mercury Black was the only one that could create this dementor killer. He had offered to go to Azkaban under some bogus charges (which would be easy to get the Minister on board with) and deal with the ones there (which the Minister probably wouldn't agree with) but Qrow overruled that, citing the lack of control over said Guardian Form as the reason. Madam Bones was in agreement. She had no interest in sending someone to Azkaban for bogus charges for any reason and the fact he couldn't control it didn't override her need for justice. When he gained control, they would revisit the topic. The dementors were a disaster waiting to happen.

As for Sirius Black, she pulled all Aurors off the case except for Shacklebolt. There was no need to hunt for a man she was convinced was innocent and hadn't caused any problems since his escape even if he was guilty. If she needed him, she knew Mr Potter could get in contact with him. If he was under a Fidelius Charm, then they would never find him.

It was one mess after another.

Ironically, her best ally was the Quibbler. This Apollo Cassandra stuck to facts and provable points. They had published that there was testimony of Voldemort's fall in 1981, but there was no evidence to support it. There was no explanation about Cedric Diggory's death but the Killing Curse was a high possibility. The case of Sirius Black was another example and it included that the dementors that Fudge set on Hogwarts to defend Mr Potter against Mr Black had almost killed him three times. Unlike with Skeeter, Apollo Cassandra was analytical yet still casual. They were reporting actual facts while the Prophet was running a smear campaign against a teenager.

Fudge was only making his own position worse, not Mr Potter's. Many people still had the copy of the Daily Prophet that covered the Basilisk story. There was also the fact that Mr Potter was genuinely kidnapped; that couldn't be covered up. Amos also wasn't happy at the Minister's attempts to 'spit on his son's memory' and he was very well respected. He was pushing an investigation that Malfoy was determined to stall.

Fudge had decided removing Dumbledore as the Chief Warlock was a smart idea, even if he couldn't remove him as Supreme Mugwump. That didn't do much but give him more time to focus on his duties. Madam Bones was very sure he had restarted the Order of the Phoenix, but as long as her Aurors obeyed her over him and they didn't do anything illegal, she was going to let it slide for now. She had bigger problems.

Getting rid of the Minister for Magic required a 90% vote in the Wizengamot. The named Death Eaters easily prevented that. The Aurors were already spread thin and Madam Bones couldn't afford to have them following them. The Ministry was quickly being torn in two. The annoying part was that the neutral traditionalists could be extremely stubborn. They were not Death Eaters, but agreed on a few things; enough to be an irritant. They weren't the problem. They were just conservative.

Voldemort was working from the shadows. They needed to counter and not allow him to build up his armies. These next few months were critical and having much of the Ministry working against her was not helping.

It was a thankless job that was fantastic at making enemies.

However, she knew she was needed at this job. She did not even want to know who Fudge (or would that be Malfoy?) would pick as her substitute.

* * *

Harry had been with the Remnant group for a week now and he was greatly enjoying himself.

The house (although it was really too big to be called one) was built on a large amount of land, which the kids loved using. None of the adults approved of sports inside the house, so they were outside a lot. The only problem was the British weather, but even that wasn't enough to stop dodgeball games or sparing sessions. It was just as well there was a large bathroom on the first floor to clean up without tracking mud inside.

There were two living rooms. One was for watching TV while the other had a games console in it. Harry had asked about using electronics around magic. Apparently, no one had told them they shouldn't work together and Professor Goodwitch pointed out that Diagon Alley was in the heart of London. Harry saw the point.

Harry knew letters could get through a Fidelius Charm as his letters had been reaching his friends. The goblins had converted one room into a mail room where all the letters and packages went. There were areas to separate the letters and packages due to recipients and, if there was magic attached, they glow red. The post was checked every morning, though they tended to rotate that duty.

The day after Harry arrived, he got quite the pile. Included in that was Madam Longbottom's most recent letter. Neville must have explained the situation to her as one line stated 'your mail is personal and it is a crime to intercept it'. There were a few letters from his contacts and even a letter from Amelia Bones, asking to meet him at some point this summer.

At Harry's anger at his mail, Zephyr pointed out that this must have been on since he was young and, given what happened to Hermione, it might have been a good idea to keep him safe. He didn't exactly argue when Harry pointed out he should have at least been told about it. Zephyr had just laughed, pointing out that that would be admitting to a crime. How much fan or hate mail should the Boy-Who-Lived have? No one would get away with tampering it.

Due to the money available to them and the lack of discrimination they had, the goblins had been incredible. While there was a floo network, it wasn't filed in the obvious place in the Ministry and Madam Bones had commented there was a specific loophole to allow it. The wards also only allowed in people that were keyed in. Somehow, that was controlled by names in a book. If your name wasn't in it, you couldn't come in.

As Sirius pointed out, Harry could also use magic here. He spent much time practicing against Professor Goodwitch as her attacks could move exactly like spells. The others had bullets they didn't like to use and that didn't really help Harry. They were happy to help with his aim and reaction time by being targets. Mercury tended to be the main one because he was the fastest and magic didn't affect him at all if Harry happened to hit him, though he did notice. If the magic was powerful enough, the others could be affected. Harry had only managed to hit Yang and Ruby though, so the others might be different.

Harry had been disappointed that Sirius wasn't immediately coming over, but he could understand that he needed to sort out some things in the house first. He never intended to go back after all. He was also trying to make leeway with Kreacher so they would still know what happened in Order meetings. He promised to explain when he got here, which would be the next day or the day after.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny were still sending him 'can't tell you anything because it is too risky and Dumbledore says so' letters. He was very angry at them. Sirius had answered his questions about Mrs Figg and said that he fully intended to tell Harry about the last war in person so he could ask questions properly.

 _Can't wait to see you Sirius._

With a yawn, Harry shut up the alarm and climbed out of bed. He had asked for a favour earlier. There was a forest nearby, though very few people walked through it and never after dark. Harry wanted to get from A to B with someone hunting him. He wanted to test his Disillusion Charm and possible ways to counter it.

While he hadn't panicked in the graveyard, he had thought of things he could have done differently. It just hadn't occurred to him at the time. When Pettigrew must have turned into a rat when they were listening for him, they should have Summoned the Cup. If he had used the Lumos Charm, he could have blinded Pettigrew for a few seconds, which would have given him the time he needed. There were quite a few things he could have done differently.

 _Maybe if I had, Cedric would be alive_.

It was pure luck Harry was alive now. If those Death Eaters had been aiming to kill rather than capture, he would be dead. He had been lucky he had hit the tombstones as he had managed to get more than one.

What Harry didn't realise was that he had been subconsciously Silencing himself while he was having a nightmare. However, somehow (and Harry suspected Winky), they found out and Yang had shaken him awake. The Dursleys would have been furious they had been woken up. Instead, she taught him some meditation techniques to help him calm. She had asked if he wanted to talk about it and he refused. She had given him an odd look, but had helped him meditate. She was sympathetic to his anger and described her Semblance as a temper tantrum. That had made him laugh.

Harry hadn't woken up at all the night before. Maybe he had slept well.

Their little hunting game was going to happen after dark. Somehow, the dark always made things scarier and it would be a little more difficult for both sides. He simply had to get back to the house without getting caught or 'killed'. Harry didn't know who would be in woods, only that it wasn't Ren or Mercury. They were too advanced for him to try it the first time and the others wanted to see how they would find him.

Even though they had a house elf, Ruby liked to cook. They all got up at different times and normally made their own breakfast or called Winky, but she would happily cook for anyone if they asked. She was there when Harry came down.

"Hi Harry."

"Hey." Harry wandered over and checked the fridge. He didn't want anything complicated. "Where is everyone?"

"ZBRN went to Hogsmeade, I don't know about Uncle Qrow, Emery and Yang are playing something in the living room, Miss Amber went to muggle London with Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin is somewhere around here."

"Right." Scrambled egg on toast it was. "What are your plans for the day?"

Ruby cut up a few more strawberries and threw them in a large bowl. A quick glance showed it was a fruit salad, but there were a lot more strawberries than anything else. "Me and Yang are meeting Luna at Diagon Alley around lunchtime. Mercury wants to go to Gringotts too, so he's coming with us. Uncle Qrow should be back by then."

"Okay." Harry fancied going for a fly. His Firebolt was sitting in his room. As long as he didn't leave the fields, no one would notice.

It amazed him how fast time passed as he soared the sky. It was always freeing.

Later, Qrow gave a wave when he came in, which was just before Ruby, Yang and Mercury left. Mercury returned about an hour later and vanished into the dining room to work on something. Harry didn't see Emerald all day. The other four only appeared at dinnertime, in a very good mood.

After dinner, Harry left the house. The only adult missing from said house was Qrow. All the students were gone, including Mercury and Ren. His Firebolt took him to his starting point and Dobby happily took it back. Harry cast the Disillusion spell, still shuddering at the sensation, and entered the woods.

It was an interesting feeling; knowing you were being hunted. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and knowing it was justified. The shadows clung to the trees, making it difficult to see.

Harry stopped and waited a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. His ears remained focused, listening for any rustling. As he began to make out details, he could make out the shapes of branches on the floor. Unless they were very careful, Harry should hear them coming.

After Silencing his feet, Harry continued.

There were a few problems with relying on his hearing. This was a natural wood and so he could hear the calls of other animals. He had been given a scare by a badger emerging from a den that he hadn't seen. He had managed not to jinx it. It bolted back into the den when it saw or smelt him. The wind rustled the many leaves on the trees. There were owls in these woods. Harry had no idea what else would be in here.

 _Hang on. Did they agree on leaving Talaria out of this or not?_

If Talaria was in these woods, she would catch him. How do you eliminate your scent?

 _I need to check with Sirius as to whether that is a necessary question._

A bush rustled to his right.

Harry froze. He very slowly crouched down next to the bush closest to him, making sure not to move it. Hopefully, if it was someone, they would think he was part of the bush.

 _Nora…_

This was the quietest Harry had ever seen Nora. She was slow. Far too slow for Harry's liking. She wasn't looking in his direction, but she wasn't moving on.

 _Come on Nora, you're an energetic girl. Go on._

She did. She looked left, smirked and took off.

That did not relieve Harry as much as it should.

 _"Point me._ " The compass pointed north. Making a quick calculation, Harry began moving again. He wasn't sure how far he was, but he knew the woods were fairly big. It was possible he wouldn't run into anyone else.

 _Still, I'm fairly sure Nora saw something._

It may be that he knew that he was in no danger, but he didn't have the same fear he had had during his experiences in Hogwarts. He was still afraid, but not overly so. It was a little more than normal when he was normally wandering around after dark.

 _Come to think of it, that happened at Hogwarts and I was normally breaking the rules when doing it. Often with life threatening results._

A twig snapped.

Harry spun around. Then mentally cursed.

"Bad move Harry." Zephyr folded his arms. "I saw you spin."

When under the Disillusion Charm, you shouldn't move too fast if you were near someone. The quick movement caught attention precisely because their brain told them there was nothing interesting to see. If you were very far away, it didn't really matter.

"How far did I get?"

"About halfway." Zephyr sidestepped and gestured back. "Off you go."

So they were just going to keep track of how many times he got caught and why. Harry could deal with that. "Before I go, is Talaria in these woods?"

"Nope. She was judged as unfair."

"Great. Thanks." So he didn't matter he had no idea how to disguise his scent. He didn't think that would help him against the Death Eaters anyway.

As he passed Zephyr though, there was an odd smile on his face. Harry did not like it.

Somehow, he didn't like the fact there was nothing suspicious for the next ten minutes. That just made him even more paranoid. They were up to something and had had all day to plan it.

 _Now I sound like a nutter._

That said, Ren and Nora spent a lot of time with Fred and George. Nora had left earlier for a reason. She didn't even try to look around.

Five more minutes. Still nothing.

Harry saw something move to his left. There was nothing when he looked.

 _Was that Ruby? Or am I imagining things?_

Another five minutes. Still nothing.

Then he heard thumps nearby. Heavy thumps of something big and it was heading towards him. They wouldn't put something too ridiculous in here.

Although, it could already be in here before they came and they normally had Hagrid's understanding of dangerous animals, even if they agreed with Harry about the Blast-Ended Skrewts. They wouldn't force anything out that had already been in here.

 _Run or fight?_

A twig snapped.

Ruby. She was walking nearby, without a care in the world. Her posture was relaxed. She glanced around her, but her eyes didn't linger on him. Harry waited, very sure she hadn't seen him.

But the thumps were getting closer. Whatever it was, it was big.

"Hey Ruby!"

How had Nora managed to get in front of him without him seeing? She had been heading in the opposite direction. She must have turned around and gotten past him without him noticing when Zephyr was distracting him.

"Hi Nora. Who won in racing earlier?"

"Ooh, me! Well…except for when Yang played. She was pretty good. I was so, so close and it was the last bend and then the absolute worst happened!"

Ruby's voice was sympathetic. "Blue shell?"

"Blue shell, red shell, then invincible! I ended up last."

"Yeah, happens to me a lot."

Harry suddenly sensed something behind him. He very slowly looked around to see.

"Whoa!"

A hippogriff was ten feet away from him. It had a rider, but Harry didn't immediately notice who. How had a hippogriff snuck up on him?!

Nora and Ruby were laughing.

"Sorry Harry," Ruby responded. "Couldn't resist."

Harry gave up. He carefully backed off before cancelling the Disillusion Charm in case he startled it. "That's really not funny guys."

"Maybe, but if you're startled, we'll see you. This was a good way to do it."

Harry's heart was slowing back to its normal pace from its panicked fluttering. "I won't forget. Believe me."

It was Emerald on top of the hippogriff. "You got distracted Harry. You focused on them and forgot your surroundings, especially after you heard footsteps."

"Yeah. I was expecting a giant or something like that."

"Featherdance had to stomp on the ground very hard to get that result. It wasn't easy. She was able to sneak up on you by watching her feet."

Harry did remember how quiet Buckbeak could be in the Forbidden Forest when they rescued him.

"Please don't do that again."

"No worries. It wouldn't be as effective a second time."

That did not reassure Harry in the slightest.

Ruby chuckled. "Come on Harry. It's only about another fifteen minutes."

So Harry had gotten pretty close then. He had gotten caught by Zephyr by making a rapid movement. He had been caught by these three because he had panicked when he saw a hippogriff so close. He was slightly surprised the animal didn't bolt, so she must have expected it. If she had been a threat, Harry wouldn't have managed to use his wand in time.

It was only when they reached the edge of the woods that Emerald hopped off and began to mess with something strapped on the hippogriff's chest.

Deciding to ask her tomorrow, Harry trudged back to the house, intending to have a good sleep. He was absolutely exhausted. Next time he would keep in mind that the initiation into their school included getting thrown off a cliff into a Grimm infested forest when asking for help training.

In hindsight, it made their worry about health and safety during the tournament very worrying. These guys should have been the last ones complaining.

* * *

Done. Sirius was finally done.

The rooms were still a mess and there were still plenty of creatures and dangerous items lying around, but most of the ones that were far too dangerous to deal with by the inexperienced. If Molly wanted the kids to clean the rooms without magic, they now weren't going to get killed doing it.

Idly, Sirius wondered how long it would take for them to notice he was gone.

Kreacher had been ordered not to leave the house at all without his permission. Sirius did not change that. He put some books aside to take to Harry, but he ordered Kreacher to drop the rest and the dark objects into Regulus' room and seal the door to prevent anyone going in. Kreacher had obeyed rather willingly, though Sirius was fairly sure he had never seen 'Master Regulus' locket' before. He had shrugged and made sure to check there was nothing else in the house that was too dangerous before ordering Kreacher to seal it for everyone save Kreacher and Sirius. He also added the order that Kreacher could only remove something from the room if Sirius allowed it.

At the moment, the Weasleys, Hermione, Remus and Mundungus were the only ones in the house. After a thought, Sirius told Kreacher to ensure Mundungus didn't leave the house with something that didn't belong to him. Sirius hadn't cared before, but now he realised he didn't want some of the objects on the black market and he lost all right to Sirius' blindness when he let Harry down. The elf was happy to oblige, even if Sirius had forbidden death.

There wasn't an Order meeting tonight and Sirius wasn't expecting any other visitors.

It was near midnight when Sirius made a move. After Silencing and Disillusioning himself, he headed downstairs. No one caught him. He opened the door, took a step to close it behind him, shifted into Padfoot and ran into the night.

The wind welcomed him back to freedom.

Voldemort probably knew about Padfoot by now, so this was a little risky. However, Sirius wasn't going far, there were plenty of stray black dogs around London and the Disillusion Charm would make sure that if anyone did see him, they wouldn't give him a second thought.

He was heading to Whittington Park.

The one Sirius was meeting with was Mercury Black. He was the one Sirius would recognise the easiest, though he was sure there were other reasons. One might be that he was immune to magic, so he would be fine if a hostile wizard showed up. Harry had begged him not to mention that fact to anyone as they were trying to keep it quiet.

Sirius understood and agreed, not telling the Order. That was a very useful fact. He wondered if it had anything to do with the ability to kill dementors.

Padfoot trotted along the streets. One of Harry's letters had come with a map of London with Whittington Park circled. Sirius found his location and memorised a few routes in case he needed to backtrack.

 _So far, so good._

Whittington Park wasn't far. It was only fifteen minutes away and the trip was uneventful. Once inside, all he had to do was find him. While the park wasn't big by London standards, there was still a bit of area to cover.

Still, Padfoot saw a lot better at night than Sirius would. His nose was also an asset. He followed the most recent scent he could find. That was a dead end, but it took him deeper into the park.

Then he picked up an odd scent on a bench. It wasn't human, but it wasn't another dog. It wasn't any sort of animal Padfoot had ever smelled before. Mixed with it was a human scent that was odd. Padfoot couldn't understand what was odd, but he knew something was.

Curious, he tracked it.

In the park, there were a few tables with a net in the middle. There was someone leaning against the table on the far right, maybe a little over Harry's age. It definitely looked like Mercury Black. On the table next to him was something small, but that was what had the odd scent. When it moved and stared at Padfoot, he saw it was a reptile of some kind.

It snarled softly.

The human with it stared straight at Padfoot as well. Despite the Disillusion Charm, his gaze never wavered. "You know, I never understood it. One is a dog and the other is a rat. How was the dog the traitor?"

Padfoot would have smiled. It trotted up to him and lay down. The reptile was a little dragon that could be a Peruvian Vipertooth. Sirius thought her name was Talaria. He was very sure this was Mercury Black.

Mercury glanced at Talaria. She nodded.

"Dobby."

Dobby appeared. "Why does Merkey call Dobby?"

"Dobby, this is very important to Harry. Is this his godfather or someone else?"

Dobby looked at Padfoot and then back at Mercury. "Definitely Master Harry Potter's godfather."

"Great. Go fetch it."

Dobby nodded happily and popped away. He returned a second later with a slip of paper, which he placed at Padfoot's paws. When he memorised the words, his head turned to Mercury and nodded once. How he saw it, Sirius wasn't sure.

"Okay Dobby. Time to go back with the dog. Do me a favour and burn the paper first though."

The paper was incinerated with a snap of Dobby's fingers. Talaria flew onto Mercury's shoulder. Padfoot didn't move, not entirely sure what was going on.

The next thing he knew, he was lying outside a house that could pass as a manor.

"You can take the charms off now," Mercury commented as he headed to what Sirius assumed to be the front door. He didn't bother looking back to check he was being followed.

After a moment's hesitation, Padfoot shifted back into Sirius. He cancelled the spells and walked forward. Mercury had vanished, but had left the front door open. Taking that as an invitation, Sirius approached.

He was just passed into the hallway when a different door was pushed open fully.

"Sirius!"

Harry. His godson.

When Sirius saw Harry in the Hospital Wing, he hadn't had the opportunity to properly talking to him, never mind giving him a hug. It was long overdue.

Very reluctantly, he gently pushed Harry back to have a proper look at him. He remembered seeing Harry just before his Third Year. He had been tired, stressed and looked underweight, though that might have been due to the baggy clothes. Now he appeared healthy, quite relaxed and was definitely a good weight.

"Having a good summer so far?"

"Not with the Dursleys, but other than that, yeah."

"Good to hear it."

Harry gave him a tour of the manor. Most of the other kids were in their rooms and may have been asleep, so Harry merely pointed to their rooms but didn't knock. Zephyr and Ruby popped their heads out to say hello before returning to their rooms. They passed Mercury when he was heading to bed.

The whole place had a very relaxed atmosphere. It was much better for children than Grimmauld Place and the Dursleys. Being around friends had obviously been good for Harry. From his letters to Hermione, Ron and Ginny, Sirius had been worried his anger and depression were getting the better of him. Sirius would keep an eye on him.

Harry said the wards went quite far around the land of the property so he had room to fly on his Firebolt if he wanted. The most dangerous creature in the area was Talaria and a golden brown hippogriff called Featherdance.

Sirius did feel a twinge of guilt about leaving Buckbeak. He would ask an elf later if they could bring him here.

The kitchen was connected to the dining room. There were two living rooms. One room had been converted into a potions lab. The final room on the tour was the room that had obviously been a study. Currently, it was and wasn't one. This was the room that Harry had been in when Sirius arrived.

It was easy to guess this was Professor Ozpin. He gave a nod of greeting and said the room on the right hallway upstairs on the far right was free. Sirius thanked him and the two left the 'study'.

"How are the Weasleys and Hermione?" Harry asked. His face was oddly blank.

"They're well. They're getting driven mad by trying to listen in on Order meetings…You know about the Order?"

"Madam Bones told me about it. They were a group who fought against Riddle in the last war."

"Exactly. The Weasley Twins invented something that allowed them to listen in. Molly went ballistic and confiscated the majority of them. I doubt she got them all. Remus decided to just charm the door."

"Right. So they know stuff and they're not telling me." Harry sounded very bitter.

"They don't know much, but they can guess quite a bit. Voldemort's mostly been keeping quiet and people don't want to know he's back. They don't want to go back to that time of terror."

"So what's the Order doing about it?"

"Currently recruiting. You know Remus was sent to the 'old crowd'? That's people like Mad Eye Moody. He can get the word out and he's got contacts we don't. He knows how to fight. That's what I want to teach you. Not to duel, but to fight." Harry had done very well in the graveyard, but those Death Eaters had been more interested in capture than kill. Voldemort might not be so single-minded next time.

Harry nodded determinedly. When he met Sirius' eyes, he seemed hopeful. "Will you teach me how to become an Animagus?"

Sirius did a mental calculation. He had every intention to keep his promise, but the first part required a month and he didn't think it would be welcome in Hogwarts. He was going to dissuade Harry from registering right away when he managed it.

 _We never did figure out how a mandrake leaf in the mouth for a month helped the transformation._

"Yes. It's a useful skill to have, but be careful who knows of it okay? If you're serious about learning, we'll start tomorrow. I am warning you now Harry, it is not quick and it is a lot of hard work. I mean it."

"I'm serious. I want to learn."

That gleam in Harry's eye…

It was the same, yet different from Lily's and James'. It had the same feel and no one could dissuade him. Save for explaining exactly how difficult the next few weeks were going to be, Sirius wasn't going to try.

* * *

It was two days after Sirius arrived that he was missed.

It was Ruby's turn to fetch the mail. She herself had more than a handful, Yang had a few herself, Zephyr had three, Nora had one, Harry had about five or six, Mercury had one from Gringotts and one from someone whose handwriting she didn't recognise, Sirius had two and Professor Ozpin had one. Ruby recognised the handwriting for Professor Ozpin's immediately: Professor Dumbledore. Professor Ozpin had met with him in Hogsmeade the day after Harry came over.

It might have been Ruby's imagination, but Professor Ozpin seemed stressed after that meeting.

Most of the kids were at the table, enjoying breakfast or the conversation. Zephyr had already left to meet someone in Diagon Alley and Ren and Mercury were outside. Ruby handed the letters out, left Zephyr's and Mercury's on the side and returned the table.

Emerald was the first to get down. She was heading outside when she stopped at that counter. She stared at the letters before frowning. She picked up Mercury's letters and headed outside.

Confused, Ruby gave an excuse and followed her.

"Emerald?"

She stopped and turned. She smiled. "Ruby. Something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you that."

Emerald hesitated for a moment. Then she showed Ruby the second envelope. "Do you know who wrote this?"

Ruby blinked. What was the problem? "No."

"Cinder."

 _Cinder?_

Ruby stared at the paper. All of a sudden, it had a sense of foreboding. "She's writing to Mercury directly? That's not good. She's not going to hurt him, is she?"

"I…don't know. I don't think so but we're in a precarious situation. Mercury…His death wouldn't stop the tournament and he's a threat. I'm just worried what's going to happen to him when he refuses again."

Ruby remembered what happened to him the first time he refused very well.

Mercury and Ren were messing around with some sort of pendant. There was a small pile of them next to them.

"-surface area is too small," Ren commented as he turned his over. "The one for Featherdance could be quite large. These are too small to draw on."

"We would need a microscope as well as a few other tools," Mercury replied. He put his down. "Maybe we're overcomplicating it a bit at the moment."

"If we send them the designs then they can use magic, which saves our Dust. I think we're struggling with the area available to us."

"Possibly." Mercury glanced up and smiled at them. "Hi."

"Hi," Ruby chirped back. "What are you doing?"

"That shield we have for Featherdance…We're trying to create something similar for people but it isn't going well."

Ruby wasn't entirely sure what to call it, but they did have a necklace like thing for Featherdance to wear that protected her from most magic (that they knew), although it wouldn't protect her from physical attacks. That was why they weren't worried about Harry accidentally jinxing her as it wouldn't do anything.

Ruby was still slightly surprised Featherdance agreed to the hunt. Maybe she saw it as a training exercise for a child, making survival more likely? She didn't know.

Ren gathered up most of the pendants. "I'll send a message to the Twins. See what they say."

"Sure."

 _The Weasley Twins? I thought they were designing prank products?_

Ruby shrugged and sat down. They had had sunny weather for the past three days and the ground was dry.

Emerald hugged him tightly. That surprised him but he returned it. "Hey, good to see you too. But what's wrong?"

"Can't I be feeling affectionate?"

"You can. But that's not an affectionate only hug. So what's wrong?"

Ruby bit her lip. That only confused him more. When Emerald showed him the envelope, his smile faded.

"Dammit."

The letter inside only had one line written on it: 'Leaky Cauldron, 22 August, 1pm'

"That's a few weeks away," Ruby noted. Dread curled in her stomach. She resisted the urge to rip it up.

"What could she possibly want?" Emerald muttered.

"Who knows?" Mercury sighed. He dropped the paper on the ground and sighed. "How angry do you think she's going to be with me if I don't show?"

"I imagine very."

"Not advised then." He swallowed. "At least the pub is quite busy. That day's going to be busy for the Suicide students too. There _shouldn't_ be violence…" He didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Tell the Fall Maiden. She would probably go in your place."

It was clear what Emerald was really suggesting. Mercury did chuckle, but Ruby shook her head. She saw the main problem.

"There are too many people there."

She didn't want to say it, but she didn't need to. Emery understood. Cedric…Cedric had been killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those monsters hadn't cared that he was dead.

Miss Amber did. No matter how much she hated Cinder, she wasn't going to get innocents involved.

If Mercury ignored it…Well, they said Cinder wasn't normally petty, but she would remember it. Mercury was already on shaky ground. This truce could be the only thing that kept him safe and she could change her mind at any time. They couldn't do a thing about it.

The Gringotts letter was about the vault Mercury had opened separately from the one they already had. The chimaera money had gone in there, though Ruby didn't understand why the money was so much. Uncle Qrow had thought it was 'bragging rights'.

Then Mercury told them what he had also asked about at Gringotts.

Emerald stared at him. "Mercury, no one is stupid enough to fall for that."

His smile told them he thought very differently.

* * *

 **AN: I did think about putting the whole summer in one chapter, but I decided against it.**

 **In the fourth book, it was Sirius Dumbledore sent to the 'old crowd'. I changed that as I think quite a few would be very worried if Sirius Black appeared on their doorstep. As much as I liked Cedric, the more I thought about it, a more competent Harry wouldn't be enough to save his life.**

 **In the seventh book, Dobby was able to get quite a few people out of Malfoy Manor. My take on that is that it takes a lot of energy to travel with a person and both the elf and the human have to know the secret before travelling to a place under the Fidelius. The Disillusion Charm is described as camouflage or invisibility. My understanding of it is that you need to be Dumbledore's or Grindelwald's level to make yourself completely invisible.**

 **Thanks for reading**


	12. Decisions

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

It wasn't the first time Qrow had chosen to sleep in the study.

This morning was the first time Ozpin decided to wake him up early. Within seconds of being roused, Qrow could tell he was torn between exasperation and resignation. He would have thought the Headmaster had seen everything at this point.

"Not having a good morning Oz?"

"Your son has continued to live up to your family legacy."

 _Mercury? Isn't it usually Ruby or Yang causing trouble? Or at least, usually them getting caught?_

"What's he done now?"

Oz dropped the Daily Prophet in front of him. Ignoring the front page story (something about St Mungo's getting renovations), he glanced down at the quite large column on the side.

Then he burst out laughing.

"I take it he didn't tell you about this?"

Qrow's chuckling died down. "Nope. I probably wouldn't have told him not to do it though."

"No one is stupid enough to think this is anything other than a hoax."

"You would be amazed Oz. It's on the front page, isn't it?"

What Mercury had done was put out a 100,000 galleon prize on Peter Pettigrew's capture (even if Mercury's name wasn't mentioned). Mercury could certainly pay the money, but everyone 'knew' Pettigrew was killed by Sirius Black. Despite that, Qrow had no doubt quite a few people would be searching high and low for him or a rat with a silver paw. Gringotts were the ones who had written the ad, so it was genuine.

In his experience, there were two things that the common magicals were: greedy and idiotic.

"What are the odds Mercury paid them off?"

"Probably very high. Still, it does show they're willing to get bribed by a seventeen year old about a dead 'Order of Merlin' winner. Explains how they're nothing more than a government mouthpiece."

Ozpin rubbed his temples. "I can see the benefits of this, but what would Mercury's thought process actually be?"

Qrow shook his head in amusement. "Part of it would be to see how many are genuinely that stupid. The rest would be suggesting that, if Pettigrew's got a bounty on him, he's likely to be alive. Then again, if they're stupid enough to fall for this, they're not going to be smart enough to understand the implications." Such as Harry's story in graveyard or Sirius' case from fourteen years ago.

Okay, maybe Mercury had thought this through more than was immediately obvious.

"Madam Bones won't be impressed."

"Given the rubbish that paper has spewed since we got here, I'm sure she'll manage."

Before Oz could respond, there was a knock on the door. The two glanced at it. Qrow groaned and pushed himself up until he was sitting. Obviously he wasn't going to get anymore zeds today and he did have things to do. Just not many.

"Come in," Ozpin called.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been expecting Sirius. He had barely seen the man the past three days, with Qrow being out of the house so often and Sirius spending so much time with Harry. At least inviting him turned out to be a good idea and when he did spend time with their students, they liked him.

It took a few minutes to remember Harry had left to visit the Longbottoms for some lessons and wasn't expected back for a while.

"Bad time?" Sirius asked.

"Not at all." Ozpin gestured to a free seat, which Sirius took with a nod of thanks. "How are you finding your stay?"

"Calming and a lot of fun. Never a dull moment. Is that normal in your school?"

"It has been known to happen." Oz always was a master of understatements. "Our experience is that Hogwarts is just as interesting, although our students tend to get into dangerous trouble because they go looking for it."

Qrow would admit that was the main difference between his kids and Harry. They had actively searched for ways to help while Harry just tended to stumble into it. The events at Mountain Glenn seemed to enforce that determination, not deter them.

"And Harry doesn't do that," Sirius agreed. "How has he been? With everything that happened at the end of the year?"

Qrow and Oz shared a glance. Qrow had not seen Harry when he was stuck at the Dursleys, but the others described him as moody. Since he got here, he swung between moody and happy. A typical teenager that was angry at the world. This one was angrier than most, with good reason.

"He's happiest when he is doing something productive," Oz began after a moment. "It is a personal opinion, but I think he feels responsible for Cedric's death. He has definitely been happier since you got here."

Sirius smiled, but it didn't last long. "Has he spoken about Cedric?"

"No. I would recommend counselling if I thought he would accept it. As he refuses to talk about it at all, we haven't pushed. It is most effective when the individual agrees to it."

"Counselling?"

 _Why is Sirius so baffled at that word? Do they seriously not have counselling here? That…would explain a bit. You would think that a world that has so many ways to torment someone they would have better aftercare._

Qrow face-palmed with a sigh.

Even Oz hesitated. "Traumatic events normally have a devastating effect on someone's mind, even someone who was not directly involved in the event. Losing someone close to you for instance. Twelve years in Azkaban would also qualify. In Harry's case, it would be a friend dying in front of him."

 _I'd like to see a therapist crazy enough to take the Azkaban case._

"And how does counselling help?"

"Often, it helps them move on. Not to forget the event but to find peace with it. A common aid is with nightmares. Harry has had nightmares and meditation has helped. Like many teenagers, he finds it difficult to calm himself."

Sirius nodded slowly with a frown. "I see." He was quiet for a moment. "Are either of you familiar with Occlumency?"

"Never heard of it," Qrow responded.

"It's an art of protecting the mind. The early stages include meditation and would protect him against Legilimency. It's essentially mind reading."

Mind reading. They had magic that could read minds.

 _And they have no therapists? Seriously?_

Ozpin tapped his finger against his leg, thinking. "How common are people that can perform Legilimency?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it's common. Dumbledore definitely. Probably Snape." He didn't look happy to say that. "Voldemort is. He's particularly fond of it."

Apparently he hadn't been using it when Harry was in the graveyard. He had been rather distracted with his 'followers'.

 _Idiot._

This would be something interesting to bring up the next time they saw Dumbledore. How do you not catch a spy when you can read their mind?

These guys needed to learn when it was a war with their children's lives and futures on the line, there were no rules and very few morals. It didn't matter who was right but who was left. He did not want to see this world with only the true monsters left.

/

"Mercury, give me your reason and make it good."

Qrow had just left Sirius' company and had not been happy to hear that, not only could a skilled Legilimens read a mind, but unhinge it completely. And of course this world would have no therapists.

Now when he asked Mercury about the law, he got that it was a ten year Azkaban sentence if it was _somehow_ proven and that Snape had tried it on him a few days after his name came out of the Goblet.

He was having issues with the second part. Especially the fact he did not already know it and it was almost a year later.

"Dumbledore needs him for something Qrow. As entertaining as it would be and happy it would make me for you to put him in his place, then was not the time to antagonise them."

Since _when_ did Mercury care about politics?!

"Mercury-"

"Who's to say he wouldn't try on Ruby or Yang? I doubt their minds would be able to keep him out. I'm not entire sure how _I_ did, but I'm sure it was something to do with my aura. I saw my Guardian Form just before he backed out. I didn't want him to try it with them. He hated Harry's father and takes it out on Harry."

Qrow rubbed his temples. This kid was going to be the death of him. "This was something I needed to know."

"Yeah. But not at the time."

Did Mercury really not get it? Qrow sat down next to him, taking a deep breath. Personally, he thought that the issue was that Mercury didn't think like a normal person. In fact, he thought a normal person would go crazy if they say what was in his mind. "What if he did this to someone else?"

Mercury scowled. "He picked me because I was alone and it was convenient. The others always were in groups. If I could do that, he wasn't going to try it against you or Ozpin. He would try it again on me. I would rip him apart then." His frown became contemplative. "I wonder if he would have gone into a coma." The frown slipped, but his fists clenched.

Apparently Mercury did get it. After taking a moment to think on how he would respond, Qrow gently rubbed the teen's back. Mercury gave him a confused look, but after a while he seemed to relax under the affection.

Mercury's aura flickered against his. Qrow took the invitation. He didn't get words, but he got plenty of images. Potions, spells, mind tricks and an utter lack of morals. This 'man's' actions made the Mercury Emerald first met look like a saint. Snape had been found out as a previous Death Eater within days of them researching that war. He was a Potions Master, very good at mind arts and very knowledgeable about the Dark Arts.

No. Qrow could perfectly understand why Mercury hadn't wanted to antagonise him until he learned more about his current position. Memory charms alone were dangerous things, never mind combined with Unforgivables.

"Can we spar?"

With one final pat, Qrow stood up and offered his hand up. "Sure."

* * *

Emerald slipped into Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. A few hallucinations here and there and no one had given her a second look. Diagon Alley wasn't very busy.

It still baffled her that no one found Talaria confusing.

Luna was sitting at one of the tables in the corner, happily munching what looked a little like a banana split. There wasn't anyone else there.

"Can I get you anything, miss?"

Emerald shrugged and waved at Luna. "Same as her."

"Certainly. Take a seat."

Luna waved happily at her. With a roll of her eyes, Emerald joined her.

"You know, you can just come over. No one would mind."

"I think you would."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"You don't want to be." Luna licked her lips. She picked up the cherry she had left on the napkin and popped it in her mouth. "So why are you here? I won't be mad."

"You asked to meet me here. Isn't that what friends do? See each other out of school?"

She tilted her head. "You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Not to me. To yourself."

 _What?_

Her own dessert had arrived. She wasn't particularly hungry, but she picked up the spoon anyway. She really didn't like to waste food and she had paid for it, so she was going to eat it.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're afraid of yourself."

"No. I'm not."

"You're burning your ice cream."

Emerald blinked and looked down. So she was. She hadn't thought that was possible. She swallowed and glanced at the spoon. Nothing was wrong. "Luna-"

"I won't tell." She leaned over and scooped up part of the black section. "Not a bad taste."

"What do you want Luna?" She had to want something. She had wanted to see Emerald, not Ruby who she knew better. Why Emerald?

Luna's smile didn't falter at her tone. She took something out of her bag and offered it to Talaria. A piece of meat. Talaria looked at it almost suspiciously, before glancing at Emerald. She shrugged. Talaria snapped it up.

"Are you afraid of Talaria?"

"What do you want?"

"You're not. You know her and mostly understand her. You know more about her than you do about yourself."

"And you know who I am huh? You know nothing Luna." Her dessert was forgotten.

"Exactly."

Emerald had had enough. She shoved the dish away and abruptly stood. Without a look back, she barely managed to avoid storming out of the shop. The door shut very controlled behind her.

 _I am not afraid of myself. Luna's wrong about that. I have nothing to be afraid of._

The Knight Bus dropped her off about a ten minute walk away from the house. Rather than hitch a ride, Talaria chose to fly next to her. She almost missed the weight on her shoulder.

Luna was wrong. She may have been right about a lot of things but she was wrong about this.

The house was quiet when she got back. She ran through breakfast in her mind. There were only two people in. Everyone else was elsewhere.

Still a slight flinch when she saw the mirror in the hallway. It was there to remind them to clean up if they had been outside in bad weather. That was all.

 _There is nothing wrong with me._

Emerald headed into the dining room. When he wasn't training, Mercury was normally in here working. It was still odd seeing him so studious. He was very focused on this good luck charm. That confused her; he hadn't had this focus on any of the essays he was set. Something was different, but she wasn't sure what.

She slid into the chair next to him.

"Hey Emerald. Thought you'd be gone a little longer."

Emerald shrugged. He didn't comment further.

"How's it going?" It just looked like a bunch of symbols to her.

"Put it this way: I had to send a message to Snape to see how ingredient could be added without altering the effects. Even Ruby couldn't figure it out."

If he didn't rip it up, she would be amazed. "You'll think he'll respond?"

"Pretty sure, even if it is to tell me that two of the ingredients I know I need are illegal in Britain."

Emerald decided not to ask. "So…What do you think? About returning to Hogwarts?"

Mercury hesitated. He sighed. "I…don't know."

"If you stay here, I'll stay as well."

"Doesn't your opinion count?"

"I'm not sure I want to go back."

They had been told that it was likely that there would be a Ministry worker at Hogwarts this year. This was being pushed through by the Minister, so it was going to be someone close to him. That made it almost certain they were a complete idiot.

The adults were more than slightly worried Mercury was going to end up killing them. He couldn't spend all his time in the Room this year, which put him in closer contact with the Suicide Students and Fudge had been heard commenting about lacking Hogwarts standards.

 _It's not that I disagree, I just think it's a case of pot calling the kettle black._

"Your call. Don't let me decide for you."

She hummed. She definitely didn't want to stay here without them. She also didn't want Mercury to be here on his own, even if he did technically have company. It wasn't the same.

Mercury put the pen down and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sighed and accepted the cuddle. He should not be this comfy. His fingers massaged her shoulders and she began to relax properly. She hadn't realised she was this tense.

"Sheesh, you're worse than normal."

"Better keep at it then."

He did. Digging into the muscles, gently rubbing the skin and the occasional stroke of her back. He had learned well. Then again, Ruby was a very good teacher.

"When's the first person back?"

"Blake in about an hour. At least."

So, save for the Fall Maiden, they had the house to themselves.

Mercury caught her involuntary tension. "What's really bothering you Emerald?"

"Nothing." The response was automatic and common from her. But for some reason, the word had felt oddly heavy on her tongue. "Am I afraid Mercury?"

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He could aura read her; he could tell her. Luna couldn't be right. He was quiet for a moment, giving her a chance to change her mind. Maybe give an explanation. Emerald didn't say anything more.

He eventually responded. "I tend to get a tiny hint of sadness and fear when I read you. Does that help?"

No. Yes. "How about now?"

"…Yes. A little anger too."

Only a little anger? Maybe there was something wrong with her…

Emerald bit her lip. Maybe answering that one question would help her figure out what.

"I want to talk to the Fall Maiden Merc." She was really asking him if he would come with her. There was no way she was going to be in the same room as her alone.

"Okay. If you're sure."

"Yeah."

The Maiden wasn't downstairs at all. They searched all the rooms. That meant she had to be in her room for whatever reason. That wasn't neutral ground.

Emerald hesitated before knocking. Mercury remained at her side. There was no hesitance in the reply.

"Come in."

Emerald glanced at Mercury. He smiled at her, promising he had her back. She returned it before turning the knob and opening the door.

She wasn't surprised to see them. She wouldn't be; there was no one else in the house. She didn't look threatened or threatening. She was nothing more than curious.

"Is something wrong?"

Almost easily, Emerald slipped back into a confident role. "I had a question. About the Maiden power." Mercury shut the door behind them.

No reaction. "Only one? What is that?"

Time to decide. Did Emerald tell her or ask hypothetically?

"How would the power respond to a stressful situation? I mean, when you were inexperienced?"

"That depends." The look was a lot more calculating now, but still no aggressive signs. "What sort of stressful situation are you thinking of?"

"No aura, outnumbered and terrified." Emerald wasn't going to deny that. She had been terrified on that train.

"There are a lot of factors to that, although that is very specific. Personality for starters. Who are you asking about? One of the ones here?"

Did she want answers more than she wanted to keep the secret?

"Me."

There was a brief silence.

"You…That would explain…Which one?"

"Spring." So she hadn't known.

"Spring…So you're the one Cinder's after. It's not that you won't go back to her. It's that you can't." The pair didn't answer. She wasn't wrong. After a moment, she continued. "This life threatening situation. Was it with someone that worked for Cinder?"

Good. She was going back to that. "Yes."

"Then your instinct would be to hide it as it would get you killed. That would make it more difficult to use. I would also guess as you only have part of it, it would be harder to use consciously. To use it unconsciously, you would probably need to be in a stressful situation with someone who it didn't matter if they learned about it."

Hence her almost incinerating Mercury. Those dreaded feelings, yet she didn't have the instinct to hide as he already knew and would protect her.

"It didn't even cross my mind to use it."

"Then you really would have struggled." Again the Maiden was quiet. However, she was really scrutinising her. She was very tempted to fidget. "One last question Emerald: what is this power to you?"

Emerald frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

"We're not women with Maiden power Emerald. We're Maidens. It's part of who we are now. That is a good part of the reason you couldn't. You don't see it as _your_ power. You hate it."

Was that why she was struggling to control it? Was that why she didn't accidentally use it against Ginger and Pepper? Because she viewed it just as much an enemy as them? She didn't deny resenting it; it was the reason she could die a very painful death. Was this karma or some sick joke?

For the first time, Mercury spoke. "Is there some aspect that is easier to learn than others? Fire over healing for instance?"

"I think it would vary. Emerald is suited for subtlety, so she would struggle with things that children would consider flashy. I wouldn't recommend she try fire first. I think wind would be better for her to get the feel of it. Then she would find the rest easier."

Fire. That was what she had been trying and all conscious efforts had been fruitless. But that had been what had happened before; the fireball. Why? Why had she created a fireball that day instead of a gust of wind? That was what had initially knocked her away at the beginning of that fight with the Fall Maiden.

 _But wind isn't really good for straight attack. Was that why? Because I see fire as their main attack?_

Wind. It would be best to try that indoors. Healing. By that logic, she would have little problem healing those she loved, but would struggle with a stranger. She had managed to heal a burn Mercury had had. She hadn't tried anything else.

Mercury's hand rubbed her back. He didn't say anything. He was there.

Emerald swallowed. "How did you start?"

"Mine was fire. I was very hot headed when I was younger."

"Hot headed?" Mercury queried. "You certainly weren't that day."

For a moment, Emerald thought Mercury had crossed the line. They had never spoken about that day and she had never wanted it brought up.

But she wasn't angry. She didn't even seem bothered. "Mercury, how many people do you think have attacked me? Including yourselves?"

"…At least one other. You're very good at fighting multiple opponents, which would suggest experience."

"You were the fifth group."

Emerald stared. " _Fifth?!_ "

"The first three were for a different reason. I accidentally crossed the wrong people in Mistral. Qrow helped me out of those and told me the truth about my power. All of others though were at least thirty years old. You two were by far the youngest and I will say the most talented."

That final line was said as a compliment. Emerald barely noticed. She had honestly thought they were the first ones to attack this Maiden. But she had already been attacked for her power before that? Was that was going to happen to her?

Mercury was still rubbing her back. Unlike the Fall Maiden that day, Emerald wouldn't be alone. He would use his power to protect her. She needed to use her power to protect him. He tried to work with his aura, not fight against it. He liked it and enjoyed using it. Their power was different, but maybe it was the same in another way.

Luna was wrong. Luna was right. It wasn't herself Emerald was afraid of, but she was afraid of this power and if that power was truly a part of her…The words she literally carried; a constant reminder…

 _What is really wrong with me?_

* * *

Hermione watched as Fred or George pulled back the Extending Ear after another bust. The Order had jinxed the door again. That was probably Mr Lupin's idea; he had been a Marauder and he knew how a child's mind worked. That was what helped make him such a good teacher.

With a sigh, she retreated to the room given to her.

Hermione's summer hadn't been great. She had enjoyed spending time with her parents and they had seemed overjoyed to be getting letters from her during the year. However, it hadn't been long until she had been invited to Order's Headquarters. It had taken some persuasion and wards on her home, but she eventually agreed.

She wasn't going to deny it was nice to see Sirius again, but she wasn't blind to the effect this house was having on him. Sometimes when she spoke to him, it was as if she was speaking to the half mad Sirius in the Shrieking Shack rather than the methodical and supportive Sirius from the cave.

His treatment of Kreacher, despite his actual opinion of house elves, told Hermione a lot.

As such, when she thought she noticed Sirius was gone, she kept quiet and hoped he didn't do anything too reckless. Harry would be heartbroken if something happened to him and rightly so. Sirius was so far the only adult that had yet to fail him.

As Hagrid, a half giant, had been the one to pick up Harry and bring him to the Dursleys, Harry didn't blame him for that and Hermione was forced to agree. Logic stated that most fights between a half giant and a wizard would end in the half giant's favour. She knew how loyal Hagrid was to Dumbledore and may have gotten physical if Sirius refused to give up Harry, with the baby caught in the middle. It may have been stupid from many angles, but Sirius had helped by giving Hagrid his motorbike. How Hagrid was going to get Harry there otherwise was something she was very curious about.

While Sirius had spent much time locked in one of the rooms upstairs, he had still come down for meals. It was only when Sirius didn't come down two days in a row when they knocked on the door. Kreacher then told them Sirius had left the house.

Mrs Weasley had been furious. Sirius hadn't even left a note.

She was still ranting about it when Sirius responded to Professor Dumbledore's letter with his own. As far as Hermione could tell, it stated that he had locked up the worst dark objects (which she was incredibly grateful for) along with the books (disappointing but she understood) and that he was with Harry.

Harry's next letter to Hermione somehow seemed upbeat.

Hermione had always thought Sirius was reckless and, in a way, irresponsible. That had slowly died (though not completely) when she caught a few lines of the letters he sent Harry during the tournament. Most adults would have been furious with Harry's initial want. Sirius hadn't been. He had explained very carefully what Harry would need to do at the very least, gave possible consequences and rewards, then promised to support him no matter what.

That was the kind of adult Harry needed in his life. Maybe if he had a proper role model, he wouldn't have been so eager to run into danger.

 _Qrow seems to be similar to Sirius as far as I can tell and Ruby and Yang turned out great._

Hermione had had the same reservations about Qrow's suitability as a guardian. The first thing he had done was agree to spar with his adopted son. And he was always drunk. Still, he had been an influence on the girls and they were good people. He had been furious when Mercury's name came out of the Goblet and had made sure the Ministry knew it. He was acting like a loving father to Mercury. Harry had once told her he was jealous of Mercury and Emerald. Their adoption had been much better than his. Harry had corrected her when she said 'luckier'; he was stuck at the Dursleys for his safety while they didn't have that restriction.

 _They still visited him._

That guilt wasn't going to go away any time soon.

Hermione knew that Harry was angry at her. He hated to be kept in the dark. She was right in that she couldn't put anything in a letter, but he did have a point that she could have visited. Now she was being told she wasn't allowed to leave Grimmauld Place; that it was too dangerous. They were right, but it didn't help.

It was that day Hermione began to sympathise with Harry and Sirius.

The kids didn't know much, but they did know a few things. One: the Order were guarding something that was obviously very important. Two: those from Remnant were meeting with Madam Bones at least once a week. Three: Voldemort was laying low.

None of it was very useful information, but merely knowing it helped keep the frustration down. The adults were determined to keep them out of the loop. No one was happy with that.

Harry had changed over the past year. While Hermione thought they were good changes and she liked many of the Remnant group well enough, she wasn't sure what he was going to be like in their house for the rest of the summer. They came from a different world and followed a different set of rules.

None of them raising a huge fuss when Mercury permenantly scarred Malfoy was the main event that sprung to mind. He may say he was punished, but none of the others had cared too much. Nora in particular had said he had had it coming, Zephyr's words were 'too stupid to live' and Ren had merely asked what Malfoy had expected to happen.

They had a point, but that wasn't the point.

Every one of them had stated that Huntsman and Huntresses were warriors. Apparently, they had a different definition of the term than Hermione.

 _Even so, history tells us that soldiers are needed to fight wars, not warriors. Are they both?_

* * *

The society was interesting. For their sake, it had better be unique. What was fascinating was how self-destructive it was.

Cinder had tried to understand this world and could only think of two comparisons, which happen to be common in children: the views of 'ignore the problem long enough and it will go away' and 'someone else will sort out the problem'. Two things that Cinder loathed.

If the children were like the adults, she was very impressed there hadn't been any deaths in that school. Ozpin was very focused on restraint, even for a girl that should have killed someone by now.

 _Something to keep in mind._

The reason that Cinder chose a pub was because of the Fall Maiden. There may only have been a few years between the Fall Maiden and the previous Spring Maiden, but it was clear the Fall Maiden was much more powerful and that was before the fact the Fall Maiden was more designed for offense was taken into account. Unless the meeting place was somewhere public, there was nothing to stop Mercury from sending someone else in his place.

It would be the intelligent thing to do and he was far from stupid.

Many people here didn't share that. She had asked one magical that was searching to collect the new bounty. His words were 'the Order of Merlin winner that was killed by Sirius Black fourteen years ago'. He didn't seem to notice the contradiction between his search and his words.

While the pub wasn't as busy as she expected as a result of this bounty, there were enough for her position.

Cinder was curious as to how the Fall Maiden was currently staying in the same house as Emerald and Mercury even if the two kept their distance. It must be a big house.

Originally she was going to choose a common pub in London. She changed her mind to the pub connected to both magical and muggle, as an incident could not be explained. No explanation would work for both worlds and there were likely to be children around.

There was no gain in her killing them. They had a lot to gain by killing her.

With that in mind, it was a nice surprise that Mercury turned up on time. While he may appear to be alone, she was very sure he wasn't. She could understand that and she probably would have done the same. However, it would seem whoever was chaperoning him was waiting outside. How polite and unexpected.

She waited until after he ordered and received his drink. "Alone Mercury?"

He gave her an easy smile. "They're waiting outside. There was the worry the topic would drift if they joined the conversation. Personally, I want to stick to the mess we're currently in. Whatever problems they have with you are _their_ problems, not mine."

"Agreed."

That made things easier. Mercury was a soldier, even if his position as an assassin made him more important than a common grunt. It wasn't his business to worry about politics. His job was to follow orders. Regardless of the morals Ozpin preaches, he would use an assassin if it suited him and this was one he could easily get rid of if he needed to. Attacking a Maiden was grounds for execution if he so wished.

It was curious that Mercury's situation with them was similar to when he was with her. They didn't appear to view him with the mistrust she was expecting, although she could see that Ginger almost killing him had certainly helped with that.

"So why did you want to see me?"

He seemed perfectly relaxed, but something about him appeared different. Her initial thought was that it was due to either herself or their meeting point. She had picked up from their last meeting that Mercury didn't like the magicals. It was a feeling she shared.

"The names of the accomplices of this terrorist weren't named in any newspaper." Cinder was very sure the one in the magazine was written by someone that was attending Beacon.

"It's a fact that Harry and Cedric vanished after the Task. What happened afterwards depends on who you believe. What passes as a Minister believes that the people there were brainwashed."

"You disagree." That wasn't a question. He didn't even try to hide his contempt. It did explain their standing; they were currently sticking to facts they could prove. That was why people read them.

It was the reaction to the bounty in the newspaper that intrigued her more.

"There was a Death Eater teaching at the school last year. We wound up in one of his classes and we learned one thing: Unforgivable spells cannot be used when brainwashed. It's a reason why they have their name. These people all have Unforgivables to theirs, which makes them guilty."

Cinder was aware what the Unforgivables were. It was her personal opinion that this Killing Curse was a lot more merciful than a lot of other spells they could use. She could understand why the torture curse was banned, even if she thought it was unimaginative. Brainwashing was far too easy to abuse.

However, that assessment was something she did not know.

"Were these the names?"

Cinder gave Mercury a folded paper, keeping an eye on their surroundings. There were very few around and none were paying them attention. Few thought anything important would be discussed in such a public place and so paid no attention to other patrons unless raised voices were involved, especially with ones that had proved as narcissistic as this society.

 _It's disappointing that their intelligence doesn't compliment their ego._

"Yes and no." Mercury ran his eyes down it again. "You're missing one, but there are three on here that weren't named." He returned his gaze to her and raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know how you got this?"

"Don't ask questions and I won't tell you any lies." It certainly wasn't legal, but she was certain of the results.

He chuckled. "I won't ask then." That way, he had deniability. He slipped it into his pocket. "So what do you want from me?"

There were a number of things. That point about spells was nice to know; these people appeared to be weak willed and would easily fall to brainwashing. It would be irritating to kill someone who was high in their government and was considered an ally.

"Eleven in the school and two in the government building. A courtroom is rather self-explanatory. What about the other room?"

Mercury rolled his eyes. It would appear this time he had an answer and that he didn't like the answer.

"Prophecy Room."

That was not the answer Cinder was expecting. Foretelling the future was not something she was particularly interested in. "This is with the assumption that their understanding of the word is the same as ours?"

He started with a scoff. "Word's the same, but debateable whether it's real or not. We were told one that seemed more…likely to be real and it was so vague that I thought of three different scenarios that would fit it within ten minutes. Most people think it is a load of rubbish. I know where I would put my money if they found out one of these said they didn't have to do something they didn't want to."

Cinder's lips curled into an amused smile. Mercury really didn't like these people. She could understand that and could agree with his logic, but that did bring a different question to mind.

"What did they say to you to talk you out of mass genocide?" It did seem the most obvious solution and she herself had interacted with very few magicals. He had had to put up with them for a good number of months. Often, children did not have the restraint adults did, although these adults had very childish philosophies.

"That we'd be probably be stuck here for another seventeen years."

Cinder did laugh at that. It was a good point. "Nothing about morals then?"

"It was genuinely an afterthought, even to them."

Another piece of interesting information. It was far too well thought out to think of on the spot. They must have had reason to consider the option. That would suggest things were worse than Cinder already thought.

The Fall Maiden was living in the same house as Mercury and Emerald, apparently showing no aggression towards them. Ozpin was foolish, but he preferred to do as little as possible and try to keep the peace. Goodwitch followed Ozpin's direction. Qrow Branwen was only known by reputation, but her understanding of him as a very practical Huntsman that was logical and even methodical. Yet that was their answer.

 _Very impressive._

"Did it occur to you that we were not brought here to be warriors but to be peacekeepers?"

Mercury gave her a very disbelieving look. "Peacekeepers. I don't think I qualify for that, due to lacking…oh I don't know…any sense of empathy?"

Again, a chuckle escaped her lips. "I don't think empathy is what these people need. My understanding is that this terrorist of theirs is a symptom of their disease, not the cause."

"…Not inaccurate," Mercury grudgingly admitted. "The problem is that they have the political power and are going to start a war they cannot win. We're going to get caught in the middle."

"We are not on Remnant Mercury. There are very key differences between our world and this one."

In the corner of her eye, she noted a potential problem. A boy had entered from the Diagon Alley end of the pub and had been going towards the fireplace before looking at them. He scowled and, together with to other boys, began to stomp over.

They had looked this way, not because of her voice, but at the moment she said Mercury's name. He was the one they were interested in.

"Friends of yours?" She was very doubtful they were on good terms judging by the boy's obvious anger, but she was curious. She saw the one in the middle had a scar on his cheek. He was clearly the leader.

Mercury followed her gaze. His eyes narrowed for a moment almost in confusion, before a sly smirk appeared. "Oh, we're _best_ friends." This was spoken in a tone of utter disgust.

This would be the child version of the magical she killed in October. His name had been Nott. Was this his son?

"Enjoying the day Malfoy?"

Evidently not. Malfoy had been one of the terrorist's accomplices, just as Nott had been. This must be Lucius Malfoy's son. That elder Malfoy was known to be a political animal. Was his son similar?

She could see this was going to end in an argument. Curious, she merely sat back and watched. She wasn't going to get involved, but there was much to learn about the man through his son. This was their current enemy, even if they didn't live up to their standard of 'enemy'.

"You're going to regret what you did Black."

So the scar was the result of the Silver Dust knife. Why was he deliberately baiting the one responsible for it? Cinder idly glanced around, but while they were starting to get an audience, none of them showed any signs of interfering.

"Talking to me again, are you? And I thought ferrets didn't talk."

That sentence made no sense to Cinder, but by the way he went red, it meant something to him. Humiliation would be her guess. Still, Mercury may be talented, but he wasn't associated with ferrets at all. That wasn't his Simple Form.

The wand was in the boy's hand. "Blood traitors don't win Black. They didn't before and they won't now. You'll be killed along with the rest."

In the corner of her eye, Cinder studied the other patrons listening. There was no disagreement with those words. In a fight, they would probably support the boy due to sharing the same beliefs. The only one that was glaring at the boy and not Mercury was another teen maybe a little younger than Malfoy. Perhaps she had been born into this philosophy but didn't agree with it.

"From mudblood to blood traitor." Mercury's smirk hadn't faded. In fact, he folded his arms and leaned back. Unseen except to a trained eye, he was ready to move at less than a moment's notice. "Shall we examine that belief, Mr Malfoy? You are related to the Black Family."

 _This should be good._

"I'm next in line for the Lordship."

Mercury scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that. Quick question: why was Andromeda thrown out of the family?"

Malfoy tried to sneer. He wasn't threatening in the slightest, even for a child. "She married a mudblood, tainting the noble line."

"Tainting the line, huh? Explain something to me then, kid. If marrying a mudblood taints the line, why is the child they had the first Metamorphmagus the Black line has had in well over seven generations? Surely the superior blood should have resulted in one earlier, yet it needed a muggleborn for that inherited ability to surface. That supports the purebloods are mudbloods theory."

Metamorphmagus. Metamorphosis was an abrupt change in appearance during an animal's life cycle, such as pupa into butterfly. The name would suggest that someone could change their appearance. If it was inherited, it wasn't something that could be learned.

"What did you just say?"

It would seem this child did not listen to the words of others. He spoke and if you did not agree, then you were wrong and an enemy. He should have grown out of that by his age.

The wand was shaking and the boy was angry. The same signs. Another slight nudge and there would be violence.

"Only inbred purebloods produce squibs." Apparently Mercury was going to settle for a large push rather than a slight nudge. She debated telling him to be quiet, but she wanted to see how the others responded to him firing spells in the pub. Maybe the owner would throw him out. "Never half-bloods or muggleborns. What does that tell you? That even magic itself knows that the pureblood cause is wrong."

" _Confringo_!"

Cinder caught a slight widening of Mercury's eyes just before he moved out of the way fluently. He must have expected a spell, so it must have been the choice of spell that surprised him.

The spell connected to the table behind Mercury. It exploded, with splinters flying everywhere. The table had been occupied and shards of wood impaled both men. One of the flying splinters hit the uncertain girl and she soon had a piece caught in her arm. It was just as well she reacted, otherwise it would have hit her in the face.

Within seconds, there were five people groaning and bleeding on the ground.

 _That's irritating._

This did put an end to her discussion with Mercury today. However, these actions had provided her with a new opportunity. She studied each of the injured. Two were fine and greatly overreacting. Another two did need help, but basic first aid would be enough for them for now. One was far worse than the others.

Ironically, she was also the quietest: the teenage girl that had a wooden stake in her arm.

Malfoy and his friends ran out the door. Mercury tutted and, seeing her head over to the one most injured, headed over to someone else. After telling them to shut up and telling the pub owner to fetch a Healer, he knelt down to help.

Cinder lowered herself near the girl to have a proper look. The man with her, possibly her father, glared at her.

"Unless you're a Healer, leave us alone."

"I am," Cinder replied idly. "When I say so, Vanish that wood. I'll handle the rest." She placed her hand next to the wound.

The previous Spring Maiden had not had any experience with the healing aspect of the power at all. There was really no reason for her to. As such, Cinder needed practice and experience before she mastered the ability. The train crash had been useful for that, although she had not been able to heal six of them. While they had been alive, there was extreme brain damage, so she had left them for the Grimm.

However, Cinder knew she needed to be an expert.

The man opened his mouth, but the teenage girl spoke before he could.

"Don't argue Father." She looked past Cinder at someone else. "You're Mercury Black, right?"

Mercury turned to look at her. "That's me. Why?"

"Do you trust her?"

That was the worst question to ask.

He gave her an odd look. After spending a few seconds to study Cinder, he responded. "If she says she can heal you, she can heal you."

 _That would be a no to the trust then. Smart lad. Did they not tell him before that the Spring Maiden can heal? If it was just his experience, he would think of the offensive possibilities of a Maiden and not the potential to aid others._

"Ridiculous. You'll be seen by a proper Healer."

"You'll be waiting a while," was Mercury's response.

The man glared at him. "And what would you know?"

The teenage girl grit her teeth and grabbed her wand. "Mercury, do you know the incantation?"

"Now hang on a minute-"

" _Evanesco_. And imagine what you want to happen. Including the part in your arm you can't see. That part is more important."

The girl looked at Cinder and nodded, determination in her eyes.

 _So there is hope for this world._

"Astoria-" the man growled.

" _Evanesco_!"

Humans could do incredible things under pressure. Aura could be unlocked under intense pressure instead of manually by someone else. Semblances could be pushed much farther than their current natural stage if needed. It would appear their magic worked a similar way.

The piece of wood disappeared perfectly, both externally and internally. If that was her first time, she should be very proud.

It was simple to focus the power now. Feeling generous, the first thing Cinder did was numb her pain. Quite a few veins had been punctured, but nothing too fatal. She focused on the blood vessels first. That only took a few seconds to fix. The bone was badly scratched, but not pierced, which was much more difficult to deal with. There weren't any other problems, so she focused on fixing the muscle and skin. It took three minutes and twelve seconds.

The problem with healing wasn't necessarily that it required a lot of power. The problem was that it was very fiddly and was easiest when you understood the human body from a biological viewpoint. For an injury she could understand biologically, it required less power to heal than one that Cinder had no idea how to fix. It was still possible, but was much more draining and required much more effort.

Healing an arm with a puncture wound was easy when there was nothing in the wound. Brain injury was something Cinder had no idea how to heal and although she tried, she was unable to. Maybe she needed all the Spring Maiden's power to do something that vital. Organ surgery was currently beyond her.

Astoria carefully flexed her arm. She smiled happily. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The father wasn't so impressed. "How did you do that?"

"That's my secret," was her sultry reply. She stood up and headed over to the man Mercury had already moved on from. It had merely clipped his side with no splinters, so a mere touch was enough to clean and close it.

She glanced at Mercury, who was leaning against the wall near the staircase. He waved at the two in the corner. "They're fine. Just bruised." He pointed at the one moaning by the table they had been sitting at. "That idiot managed to avoid a very slight cut to his arm and managed to break his arm in at least two places dodging it."

Cinder sighed. The reason for dodging was to avoid injury, not damage themselves more. She was very tempted to ignore the idiot, idly wondering how to respond if someone asked.

As it happened, she didn't need to. It was then that the magical Healer showed up. That was her cue to leave. She gave a smile to Mercury, who returned the gesture with a cocky smirk, and left the pub.

There was no obvious sign of his escort.

Their meeting may have been cut short, but it was still very productive.

* * *

For the millionth time, Harry swore he was never playing this racing game again. He wasn't too bad when he was playing by himself, but he always got flattened when he raced against someone else. He was sure they were somehow cheating.

 _Gits._

"Another go Harry?" Yang asked.

"Go for it." He was going to win this time.

Before they could start it up, there was a knock on the door. Ren stuck his head in.

"Madam Bones wants to see you Harry."

That didn't sound good. He knew Madam Bones was coming today, but he hadn't been told he was needed. In fact, a glance at the clock showed that she had been here over an hour. "Why?"

"I don't know."

Confused, Harry dropped the controller on the sofa. What could Madam Bones want with him? He had initially wanted to meet with her about Sirius and that had been done. With Fudge causing trouble, it probably wasn't about Cedric's death. What was left?

Ren smiled at him as he passed.

If Harry was curious before, the fact that Sirius was in this meeting with Madam Bones and Professor Ozpin amplified it. The Kiss-on-Sight had been rescinded and Apollo Cassandra was doing Harry a favour and printing facts about Sirius Black's actions in the First War. That, combined with the bounty on Pettigrew, seemed to be making progress with the general public.

As long as it got Sirius his freedom, Harry didn't care what they did.

"You wanted to see me?" His eyes went to each of the adults in turn.

"Take a seat Harry," Professor Ozpin responded. After Harry sat down next to Sirius, Madam Bones spoke.

"Mr Potter, I have been told you are being taught Occlumency. Before we discuss any further, I need to test your abilities. If they are unsatisfactory, then you will need to leave."

Harry wasn't happy that they could send him out again, but Sirius knew how far along he was with the mental art. He seemed to think Harry would pass this test. Whatever this was, it was obviously important.

"Understood ma'am."

" _Legilimens_."

Harry was almost seeing double vision. He closed his eyes to focus on his mind better.

When Sirius began teaching him about Occlumency weeks before, he had described the mind as a layered vessel. The mindscape covered multiple aspects of the mind and a true Legilimens could not only read minds, but also alter their thought processes. However, the mindscape was controlled by the Occlumens' mind.

The normal way of Occluding the mind was to suppress everything into the lowest layers and raising shields against mental attacks. Harry had really struggled to supress his emotions, so Sirius tried a different and less known method. The art of misdirection.

Harry's outer layer was literally endless trees. A surface scan would only confuse someone. It had taken eleven straight days of focus to get that. The opponent would have to get into his mind to try and read him.

Sirius was innocent in Azkaban. He had turned that from a hopeful thought of 'someone would figure that out and get him out' into a dreaded thought that 'he didn't belong there'. It turned a positive into a negative and so the dementors couldn't suck it out of him.

Harry's next layer was where his true mindscape started, which took the form of Hogwarts. An intruder was placed in the Entrance Hall.

Once a mental shield is breached, it is easy to find what the Legilimens was looking for. By not having shields and instead placing an intruder at a 'starting point', this required the intruder to focus their energy into trying to figure out the individual and not just the general smashing against shields.

After a moment of consideration and surprise, Madam Bones headed to the Grand Staircase.

The suits of armour on the way swung their swords and attacked.

Another part of the mindscape was that it followed the rules that the individual understood. Harry knew that a Blasting Curse would destroy suits of armour, so the suits in his mindscape were destroyed when Madam Bones used a Blasting Curse. When building a mindscape, it was useful to be ignorant.

Or, in Harry's case, watch a group of teenagers break the rules of physics and biology every day. That, combined with the fact Harry had been spending much more time with Fred and George, gave him a very open mind to what was possible.

When the pieces hit the ground, they were Transfigured into Talarias. They attacked as a pack, with each little Peruvian Vipertooth having a venomous bite. This would not kill someone, but would drain their energy quickly. A Legilimency probe took a great amount of energy and magic, so they were likely to retreat earlier as their strength was sapped.

Madam Bones was bitten when one dragon was sacrificed to allow another to get too close.

She ended her spell.

"Very impressive Mr Potter. I assume there are more traps further on? Some are very unlikely to give up so easily."

"Yes ma'am." He wanted to add more, but it really drained him. He focused on it for an hour before he went to bed. Normally, he just kept trees at the back of his mind. That kept casual Legilimency at bay. Sirius had had fun doing it at random times.

While the experience in his mindscape took a few minutes, only a few seconds had really passed.

Harry had focused so hard on Occlumency because Sirius said there were some things he couldn't be told in case they leaked, intentionally or not. When Harry told him about his dream about the corridor, Sirius told him he would explain when he mastered it and he was not to try and open the door beforehand. With the promise of answers (and Sirius never letting him down before), Harry agreed and backed off it.

The meditation Yang had showed him had helped with the nightmares. Studying Occlumency had helped even more. The last time he found himself back in the graveyard was over a fortnight ago.

Sirius patted him on the back.

"Very well Mr Potter. You passed the test, but I would highly recommend you keep working and don't go looking for trouble." Madam Bones glanced at Sirius, who nodded in response. "Now, onto the reason you were called here."

Sirius sighed. "Harry, there's something else Riddle is interested in. Before you were born, a prophecy was made. Now I don't know any of the details, but what I do know is that Riddle is desperate to get his hands on it. The Order is currently guarding it. It's sitting in the Ministry past a long corridor."

Prophecy?

Prophecy, like the one Trelawney gave just before Pettigrew escaped?

 _Hang on. Past a corridor? Is that the one in my dreams? Is that what I'm seeing? But why?_

"What prophecy?"

"The details aren't known," Madam Bones replied. "It was given to Albus Dumbledore, so he most likely knows its contents." There was a slight spike of hate there. Harry ignored it; he was getting answers. "I have spoken to an Unspeakable and they have said that a prophecy can only be removed from the shelf by who it involves. One set of initials are yours. The other is TMR, who is Riddle. However, after it is removed from the shelf, anyone can touch it."

Professor Ozpin nodded. "It is unknown whether Riddle himself knows that fact. He is taking advantage and laying low, but he could choose to walk into the Ministry and claim it at any time. No Order member would be able to stop him."

It began to click for Harry. "So you need me to go get it."

Madam Bones sighed. "Yes. It pertains to you, so it is your choice of whether or not you want to hear it or just smash it with a Silencing Charm on it. I have spoken with an Unspeakable and, until Riddle reveals himself, he has agreed to replace it with a fake. Including all the enchantments."

Harry frowned. "Is that possible?"

"Prophecies are vague at best. Personally, I never thought anything of them and certainly don't hinge plans on them. However, Riddle knows of it and is determined to get it. Add in that one of our new friends began there, it has become a necessity. It is the Unspeakables that put the names on and yours was put on after Riddle vanished that Halloween."

Professor Ozpin was in agreement. "Magic may give you prophecies, but their interpretation is due to humans. Therefore, human error must be factored in."

Harry had always thought it was his mother that had stopped Riddle that night. Maybe his mother's initials should be on that prophecy, not his.

"So we're not telling anyone that…" Hang on. "How do you replace a prophecy? And how soon can we go?"

"To answer your first question, prophecies are stored in orbs. We merely switch them. We will also be telling Dumbledore so there is no need for a guard." Madam Bones took a deep breath. "Ordinarily, it is a matter of opportunity and this is no exception. However, after that lovely…offer from Gringotts, many of the lower level staff at the Ministry are…otherwise engaged."

Sirius chuckled. "I still have to get that kid something nice."

 _Does that mean that some in the Ministry actually are looking for Pettigrew? Does that also mean Dumbledore didn't agree to this?_

"There are also the whispers that Harry Potter is dead around the Ministry. As a result, it would be wise to go as soon as possible and definitely before you return to Hogwarts next week. The only question was whether or not you would be able to keep it secret. Now it becomes your choice of when to go."

"Could we go now?" Harry would actually be doing something to help in this war.

Sirius gripped his shoulder. "Go fetch your Cloak Harry. You don't want to be seen in the Ministry."

Wide eyed, Harry looked at Madam Bones. She smiled at him. "As I understand it, the Cloak is a family heirloom. Unless you use it for illegal purposes, I have no right to take it from you. It is perfectly legal for a guest to accompany me and no one will think much of someone wanting to talk to the Head of the DMLE when no one can identify them."

The sigh of relief was very audible.

The Cloak was folded under his bed. He was slightly surprised that no one had borrowed it. Then again, these guys seemed to understand the meaning of privacy. More than could be said for most of the other people he knew.

Not five minutes later, Madam Bones and an invisible Harry walked out of a fireplace in the middle of an atrium. Could anyone just floo to the Ministry of Magic or was that word Madam Bones said some sort of password?

There were a few 'good afternoon Madam Bones', which she replied to, but there was no sign that Harry was found out by anyone. It was difficult not to knock into anyone as they walked though; many of these people didn't look where they were going. It was infuriating as it was obvious this was built with at least twice the population in mind.

It almost looked like half the Ministry were looking for Pettigrew. No wonder Madam Bones wasn't happy with Mercury. No wonder Sirius was very happy with Mercury.

 _And all it took was one advertisement in the Daily Prophet._

His next lesson with Madam Longbottom after that was printed was economics. Only then did Harry truly realise how much money 100,000 galleons really was. Only then did Harry realise how much money he really got from the Basilisk.

All of a sudden, he was very aware of the armour under his shirt. These students were as bad as Fred and George when it came to pranks. While it's not harmful to them and so far hadn't been to Harry, it only took one accident. Qrow did agree in a serious tone that wearing armour was a good idea when Harry jokingly suggested it to Sirius.

Although, Harry had no idea how they managed to get a water balloon full of paint so precariously balanced on the top of a door that would hit spike on the door that he had thought was a decoration once it was opened. The paint had gone everywhere. Ren's room getting redecorated pink with bows everywhere in less than half an hour was something he just wasn't going to question.

 _Thank God these guys don't have magic. Thank God their remaining accomplices JWMP isn't here. The house wouldn't be standing otherwise._

Harry stepped off the elevator, straight into the corridor in his dreams. He froze for a moment, before calming himself and catching up. He had already made up his mind about this prophecy.

 _But where would I put it? It needs to be somewhere a Legilimens would never look…_

Through the door in his dreams into a dark room into another room full of shelves. The question of replacing that door with one that would open up to a room holding nothing but rubber ducks if he had that dream again was to be thought about at another time.

 _I really need to stop hanging around with Nora. Seriously, how does Ren manage it?_

Glass orb upon glass orb. Row upon row. All these were prophecies? Had all of them come true or were some of them still waiting? Was this prophecy really worth all this fuss?

 _Riddle is after it. If he is as desperate as Sirius says, he should not get his hands on it._

She stopped after a few minutes. Harry glanced at the shelves. Row 97.

A man appeared nearby. There was no sign suggesting Apparition and he hadn't just taken off an Invisibility Cloak. He seemed to have just appeared out of thin air.

"Honestly Croaker, this behaviour is worse than drunk Malfoy at a cocktail bar."

What.

The man chuckled. "Better than a Potter in a Zonko's shop."

 _Okay, that one makes sense. But what are they talking about?_

"And Dust was not magical."

 _The only way that sentence makes sense is if they talk about the Dust they have. What the hell are they talking about?_

Croaker nodded. "We're clear, save for your friend I assume you brought with you. He is genuine?"

"He is. You can come out now Mr Potter." With a relieved breath, Harry followed Madam Bones' order. "In case you're wondering, they were key phrases. To be specific, key phrases in response to key phrases to prove your identity."

The man chuckled again. "It certainly made for interesting conversations to eavesdroppers."

"So you're an Unspeakable?" Harry had never heard of them until they were mentioned earlier. "What exactly do you do?"

"That would be the Unspeakable part. All you need to know is that we do not answer to the Minister. We study things that are harder to study."

Harry frowned. That did not help.

"Be quiet Croaker. You're confusing the boy." She turned back to Harry. "One moment. _Muffliato_. Now we can talk freely."

Harry hadn't come across that spell in any of the Hogwarts books. It seemed to be good against eavesdroppers, so Harry made a note to remember it.

All of a sudden, in Croaker's hand was an identical sphere to the one's in this room. "If you would, Mr Potter."

Swallowing, Harry glanced at the nearest shelf. His eyes were immediately drawn to the correct one. Himself. Riddle. Dumbledore. SPT…SPT…Trelawney? Sybil Trelawney? Did Trelawney say this prophecy too?

 ** _"I believe that takes her total number of prophecies up to two."_**

Dumbledore had known about this for nearly fifteen years. Why had he never said anything? Harry had directly asked him at the end of his first year. Would this give him an answer? The answer as to why Riddle wouldn't leave him alone?

"Mr Potter, I need to ask. Do you intend to listen to the prophecy or not?"

Harry picked up the orb. Nothing happened. After a moment, Croaker stepped forward and placed the one in his hand in its original resting place. With a bow, he vanished as mysteriously as he appeared.

 _Am I ready to hear this?_

"Can I change my mind later if I want?"

"The prophecy was made to Dumbledore. He could tell you at a later time if you don't want to hear it now."

Harry wanted to hear it. He wanted to hear it so desperately. But was he ready to hear it? What would it say?

 _The last prophecy predicted Pettigrew escaping. If I paid more attention to that, I could have prevented it. But can you prevent a prophecy? Does a true prophecy mean something will happen no matter what I do?_

Harry juggled the orb in his hand as he thought. He needed to make a decision. He didn't want to make the wrong one. But how to decide?

Slowly, as if hearing his call, a different memory surfaced. The day before yesterday. It was after the first time he had managed his Animagus transformation.

 ** _"You know, if Pettigrew managed it, I was expecting it to be easier," Harry panted. All of his muscles were extremely sore._**

 ** _"He had a lot of help," Sirius replied. "It's much easier when you have people you can rely on, no matter what."_**

 ** _"Yeah." Harry bit his lip. He tasted blood. "Sirius…About that night in the Shack…I'm sorry."_**

 ** _"Harry…Never be sorry you saved a man's life. You couldn't have known what would have happened. Maybe Pettigrew wouldn't have been enough to convince Fudge. We don't know, so don't bother with 'what if's."_**

 ** _"But I did know. Trelawney-"_**

 ** _"Is a drunk bat. Divination is dodgy at the best of times. Let's say I gave a prophecy that said 'a child of the moon will rise'. Think how many possibilities that has. Moony, a child born during an eclipse, your friend Luna. There's plenty there Harry."_**

 ** _Harry could see what Sirius was trying to say, but he wasn't convinced. "This was a little more specific Sirius."_**

 ** _"What if the prophecy wasn't just about Pettigrew? He was revealed that night, but Barty Crouch Jnr broke free not long after. It doesn't say everything happened on the same night." Sirius sighed. His eyes were haunted. "'What if's destroy a man Harry. Remember that."_**

It hadn't occurred to Harry at the time, but he did remember Sirius in the Shack. He still thought himself responsible for his parents' death, even though he hadn't been the one that betrayed them. 'What if Sirius had remained their Secret Keeper'…Harry wasn't going to deny he had had those wishes. Sirius still felt guilty over it.

Harry looked at the orb.

"I don't want to hear it right now."

Harry was very curious. He was willing to admit that. But if this was destined to happen no matter what he did, he didn't need to hear it. He now knew what he wanted from life and he did not want this to tell him he had to do something different. He was not going to bail the Wizarding World out of a mess they created.

 _I can change my mind later if I want, though Dumbledore is going to be harder to convince._

He didn't want to think about Dumbledore right now.

"Do you want to hear it?" If Madam Bones thought it was important…

"No. I don't believe in Divination and definitely don't want to fit my life and my work around it."

Right. Harry had a plan. He wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that.

He grabbed his wand. His arm flew down, throwing the orb to the floor. It smashed.

" _Silencio_."

Sirius had taught him that one.

It was Trelawney. Her lips were moving. No sound was coming out.

Harry let out a long breath. His heart was hammering. He felt he had made the right and wrong decision.

"Professor McGonagall would be proud of that spell, Mr Potter. Put the Cloak back on and let's get you back so you can enjoy what remains of your summer. And please pass on to Mercury to tell me before he pulls another stunt like this."

Right. That there was a prophecy about him and Riddle proved nothing. It was _his_ life and _nothing_ was going to get in the way of that. Not some Ministry and not some prophecy.

And when he got back, he was going to flatten Yang at racing.

It wasn't until he was back in the house that his heart was beating normally again.


	13. Back to Work

**In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

It turned out there was a fireplace on the magical side of the barrier of platform 9 ¾. That explained a lot actually.

Harry knew from experience that the Weasleys would arrive about five minutes before the train left, at best. Somehow, he didn't think this year would be any different. It would take more than the Order of the Phoenix to organise that chaos.

Padfoot had come along to see Harry off as well as the other adults. Harry only got on the train when Neville arrived five minutes later and the two found an empty compartment. That was very easy compared to previous years. It was rather impressive how twenty minutes made such a difference.

After congratulating Neville for becoming a prefect, the pair began to chat over a game of Wizard's Chess. Ron may be the king of this game, but Harry and Neville were about the same skill level. It made for closer games.

After the first game, Luna joined them. She waved absentmindedly and immediately began to read the Quibbler. She seemed happy to stay in her own little world. He and Neville were happy to play in peace.

True to form, red heads could be seen out of the window five minutes before the train left. Hermione was with them.

Harry was currently losing two-one. He had gotten better, but he wasn't great. Sirius had once said he subconsciously tried to save as many pieces as he could. When he made the conscious effort not to do so, he was pretty good.

He had just lost his knight when the door slid open. Hermione stuck her head in.

"Hello. Can we join you?"

Harry glanced at her. He couldn't be bothered to be angry at her anymore. "Sure."

Hermione, Ron and Ginny entered. They lifted their trunks onto the above railings and sat down without a word. All three exchanged a glance. As the train pulled away, Harry ignored them.

There went his pawn. There went Neville's knight.

"How was your summer Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty good." Tiring would be another word. He had been training hard and he had greatly enjoyed it. "How was yours? Did they make you prefect?"

"Yeah, they did. You?"

Harry laughed. "I've been in too much trouble. Neville's the prefect."

Naturally, three rounds of congratulations came his way. Neville thanked them with a nod and a smile. He had grown in confidence quite a bit last year, so Harry was sure he was going to be a great prefect.

"What about you Neville?"

"Okay. Gillyweed project is done and I'm going to show it to Professor Sprout before I send it anywhere else. I'm thinking about Mandrake's next, so I need to talk to Hagrid as well but he's not back yet."

The other three looked very confused.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "Where's Hagrid?"

"No idea," Harry replied. "Sirius said he was doing something for the Order, but he didn't say what."

Ginny sighed. "Why was Sirius telling you things? No one would tell us anything."

"He was under the impression Riddle was going to come after me no matter how old I was. He didn't want me to attract attention to the fact Hagrid was gone."

Ron interrupted then. "Still-"

"That is how I felt at the beginning of the summer Ron, so don't finish that sentence." He wasn't surprised that Ron glared and opened his mouth. Harry continued before he could. "I was only told things I needed to know. Like the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is a close supporter of Fudge and to hold my temper."

Ginny leaned forward. "Anything else?"

"Just that Malfoy has become an annoying prat again."

Ron shrugged. "Mercury will shut him up again."

"Mercury's not going to Hogwarts this year. Checkmate."

Neville cast his eyes over the board. Then he nodded and extended a hand. Harry shook it and, after a quick glance at the time, he set the board up again for their deciding match.

Hermione seemed surprised at that statement. "He's not? Why not?"

Harry shrugged. He wasn't going to question why the student that knifed Malfoy wasn't going to be at the school when a Ministry worker was there. It was rather obvious to him. He doubted many students would notice.

"Are the others?" Ron asked without emotion. His eyes remained on the chess game.

"All seven." Was he allowed to castle on both sides or just with the king side rook? "They're somewhere on the train." Apparently he was allowed to castle on both sides.

By the way Neville hesitated, that somehow changed his plan. Good.

"So what did you guys do over the summer?" Ginny filled the silence. "We spent all our time cleaning."

Harry was very pleased he didn't have to do that. "Did Mrs Weasley really insist on no magic?"

All three pulled disgusted faces. "Yeah. Mum's stubborn like that. The Twins drove her up the wall by Apparating everywhere."

"Percy did the same thing," Ginny added onto Ron's statement. "And you are going to do the same thing when you eventually pass your test."

"What do you mean 'eventually'?"

Harry tuned out Ginny's and Ron's bickering. He needed to focus. Was it worth sacrificing his rook for Neville's bishop? It would leave his knight at risk…

Changing his mind, Harry moved his knight forward.

Three moves later, Harry was aware the compartment door had slid open. With curiosity, he looked up. Somehow, he wasn't surprised it was Malfoy. This time, he was ready for him.

"Well Mudblood and Weasel…" Malfoy stared at Harry. His eyes were wide.

 _Deep breath. Control your temper._

"Something wrong Malfoy? Has Daddy finally let you out after your last tantrum got you into trouble?"

Harry knew what had amazed him: the rumours about the Ministry that Harry was dead. Whoever had started those rumours was probably the one who sent the dementors. No doubt Malfoy Snr had heard about it and told his son.

"What are you talking about Potter?"

"Your little tantrum in the Leaky Cauldron. Those were your father's friends that you skewered after all. I'm willing to bet you haven't had a great summer."

Malfoy glared at him. "Shut up Potter."

"Then leave Malfoy. I was here first and you're not welcome."

Malfoy's expression twisted into a sneer. Somehow, unlike before, it didn't anger him. In fact, he was tempted to scoff. Malfoy was part of the problem, but he wasn't important. He was just irritating. Riddle was out there. So were his Death Eaters. Draco was nothing more than a petty, spoilt child.

"I hear you're starting to respect your betters Potter. Things are going to be different this year. This is my final offer and I suggest you take it."

"I have respect for Slytherins Malfoy. I have no respect for _you_. After all, you're not a Slytherin. That was proven last year." True Slytherins were Mercury, Blake and Daphne. Draco was a four House reject. "You honestly think that Riddle will listen to you if you claim I took your offer? You're nothing. To me and to him."

Malfoy's hand went to his wand.

"Careful Malfoy," Neville growled. "There are two prefects in this carriage."

"A squib and a Mudblood? You don't scare me."

 _Perfect._

"And what about you Draco? What magic can you do? You never showed up for the duel in First Year, you were losing the duel in Second Year and you were pathetic when you got a cut on your arm. Last year you couldn't hit someone that was standing ten feet away from you. What have _you_ done that is supposed to make us scared of _you_?"

It was obvious that Malfoy wanted to start flinging spells. It took Harry a few moments to realise Crabbe and Goyle weren't with him. Malfoy was alone. This made things much easier.

"One spell Draco," Hermione snarled. "I'm warning you. You remember what happened in Third Year?"

Malfoy glared, but his face flushed red.

Neville glanced at his watch, gestured to Hermione and stood up. He grabbed Malfoy by the back of the robes and literally threw him out of the compartment. Malfoy stared.

"You are a prefect Malfoy." Only when Neville pointed it out did Harry see the badge on Malfoy's robes. What idiot had made that decision? "We have a meeting to get to."

Hermione smiled almost innocently. "At this rate Malfoy, you're going to make history with how fast you're going to get that badge revoked."

Neville and Hermione walked down the corridor with their heads held high. Scraping as much dignity as he could, Malfoy didn't look at the occupants of the compartment as he followed, sulking.

"Blimey Harry," Ron breathed. "That was incredible!"

Harry shrugged, but he was also smiling. "I had a good teacher." Those anti-Malfoy lessons with Mercury had been a lot of fun. Sirius had given him a lot of ammo as well. It helped that Mercury had managed to predict their first meeting almost perfectly.

 _It's almost pathetic that he was that predictable. He's really not worth getting upset over. And what I want to do to him make great Occlumency traps._

Neville and Harry's chess game wasn't finished. Luna had, at some point, put down the Quibbler. Smiling, she scooted along so she was opposite Harry. With a shrug, Harry studied the board. This required a huge change in his game plan.

"It's your move."

It was the longest game Harry had ever played.

He also lost badly and stared at the board for a full five minutes trying to figure out what had just happened.

Luna just smiled at him. "Best to get changed into your robes Harry. We'll be there soon."

 _When did it get dark out? That was a very short trip._

Harry hadn't even noticed Neville and Hermione's return. He had had a lot on his mind. He grabbed his robes and spent the rest of the trip working on his Occlumency mindscape. Each and every memory and emotion was stored in the Chamber of Secrets which, just like the real one, required Parseltongue to get into. Then he stuck a password on it: 'Faunus'. Most people looking into his mind would think his stuff was stored in his dorm room or somewhere else like that. Only a handful would know where the Chamber was, only Riddle could speak Parseltongue and no one would guess his password.

Honestly, Harry was having a lot of fun setting traps all over his mindscape Hogwarts. It was very tiring, but fun.

Hermione frowned a little as he followed them out of the compartment. "Are you alright Harry?"

"Just tired, that's all."

She didn't like that answer. "What have you been doing this summer?"

"Training with Sirius. Losing at the majority of games I play with the others." He shrugged. That pretty much summed up everything, save for his meeting with Madam Bones and the fact he trained with the Remnant group too. They talked their exercises through with Sirius first so they could make sure it wasn't too difficult for a wizard in training. Challenging yes, but not impossible.

They caught up to the others at the carriages. Including the students from Beacon.

This was the first time Harry had seen a Thestral.

Hermione stopped when he did. "What is it Harry?"

"Nothing." It wasn't nothing. Cedric was dead in a war that the Wizarding World refused to even acknowledge.

Emerald reached a hand forward and gently petted it. "Can you see him now Harry?"

"Yeah."

They had been described to him as winged, skeletal horses that had almost reptilian skin. That wasn't wrong, but they didn't feel scary. This one was enjoying the affection.

"Who else can?" It was a personal question, but somehow it slipped out.

"Me," Neville murmured. Ren, Nora, Zephyr and Emerald briefly raised their hands. Ruby and Blake were the only ones of them who couldn't. Ron, Hermione and Ginny obviously couldn't. Luna reached out and petted him as well, so she could see him.

"We're holding up the group," Zephyr noted. He headed over to the carriage in front and the others followed. Ruby was frowning at what she would see as empty air.

It may have been the uncommon quiet in his carriage or it might have been because he could now see them, but Harry could hear hoofs outside when he couldn't in previous years. This year was going to be different.

Hogwarts was changing.

The Great Hall looked the same. There was nothing different about the Sorting this year compared to last year. There was nothing different about the chattering and generally happy children.

Hagrid wasn't there. There was a woman in pink there. Professor McGonagall looked tired. Professor Grubbly-Plank was someone Harry hadn't seen before.

Dumbledore gave a normal opening speech, saying nothing about Riddle.

The woman in pink interrupted. Her speech was very dull and he tuned out quickly. A scan of the Great Hall showed that most of the students were the same. Hermione was hanging on every word and was not happy with what she was saying.

Emerald smiled and whispered to Ruby. "What do you think Coco would say to her?"

Ruby giggled. "A true crime against fashion."

Yang sniggered.

"Thank you Professor Umbridge for those most illuminating words."

Zephyr scoffed. He obviously didn't think much of her. Hermione was explaining the true meaning of the speech to the other Gryffindors, but Harry already knew. Fudge was trying to interfere at Hogwarts.

Fudge wouldn't be Minister for much longer.

Harry followed the First Years at a distance. Hermione and Neville took them the simplest way to remember, pointing out things that helped act like signposts. They told them which portraits were helpful if they were lost and which ones enjoyed sending people the wrong way. So far, the two were doing a good job.

Neville was confident as he spoke the password.

Harry listened as they explained about the dormitories, curfews and some of the things that students leaned over the first few weeks, such as mucking about got you thrown out of the library which made it very difficult to do homework and teachers did not accept that as an excuse.

When the First Years scattered, he approached them. "So far, so good?"

"Yeah," Neville replied. "I remember how overwhelming it was back then though."

"I can't remember being that small," Harry agreed.

"Neither can I. Fancy that deciding game?"

"Sure."

That turned into three games. Harry managed to win them all. It was the longest win streak he had ever managed to have in any game and he was very proud of it. He doubted it would happen again anytime soon.

"Guess tonight was not my night," Neville commented as he packed the pieces away.

"We all have nights like that," Harry agreed. He stood up and stretched. "I'm heading to bed."

"Me too."

It had been quiet in the Common Room. Harry had noted it, but he had merely been glad of it. It was easier to focus on his strategy and ignore the stares he was getting. He honestly didn't understand how people didn't understand how annoying it was.

The silence in the Fifth Year dorms was heavier. Ron was on his bed, Dean was pulling his socks off and Seamus was staring at a poster on the wall.

Harry ignored them and headed over to his bed, pulling his robe off.

"Good holiday Harry?" Dean asked hesitantly.

"Pretty good. You?"

"Good, yeah."

Harry climbed onto his bed and pulled the curtains shut, casting a Silencing Charm on them. He recognised the signs of uncertainty and confrontation in Seamus and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

This year at Hogwarts obviously wasn't going to be much fun. But he only needed to pass his OWLs before he could legally leave. He was here for contacts, not an education. All he had to do was pass the time.

/

Qrow watched the train leave. It wasn't easy to see your kids leave for boarding school. It was especially hard as the school they were going to had proven to be a death trap. On top of that, Qrow wasn't convinced of the sanity of whoever Fudge would trust enough to send there as a teacher.

He sensed Mercury's aura focus on his. He didn't catch the words Mercury was trying to tell him (maybe because he wasn't sure himself), but he got emotions and an image of Tai. The question was obvious.

"He took it sadly, but okay. It's never easy saying goodbye."

Mercury didn't say anything. When they got back to the house, he left to go for a run. He came back three hours later. When he did, Qrow offered to spar with him and he agreed.

There was certainly an improvement from when he sparred with him in October and now. Mercury had spent most of his time training in the perfect gym, so he wasn't surprised. A few more years and he could probably go all out with him.

Given that Mercury was biologically 17, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was Qrow's understanding that Mercury had been much better than they feared socially at Beacon, but a lot of backwards steps had been made since they got here. That was the main reason Qrow wanted him out of Hogwarts. It would not do for him to kill his classmates because they couldn't keep their mouths shut and there was no need to deliberately annoy that Ministry representative.

Mercury had ended up reluctantly agreeing. Emerald and Ruby hadn't been happy. Eventually, Emerald decided to go back to Hogwarts for Ruby and Yang. Qrow remembered what Emerald had said to him before they left.

 ** _"If we're around, Mercury focuses on us, not himself. He needs to learn certain lessons and he's learning all the wrong things at that mess of a school."_**

He wasn't entirely sure what lessons the girls wanted him to learn.

Qrow had quizzed Yang quite a bit on the trio's relationship. There was a worry there that they weren't happy, but his primary concern had been Mercury's behaviour. Abuse victims often become abusers and, while Qrow had personally seen no sign of it, possessive behaviour was common between many normal couples. He was very doubtful Mercury would get physical. He honestly was sure he wouldn't, but he needed know if there had been any signs.

Yang had put all those unfounded (but possible) worries to rest. She said that the reverse appeared to be true; that Emerald or Ruby were the ones that seemed 'dominant' even if Mercury was the one who sounded the most possessive. Yang personally gave that title to Ruby; she didn't like anyone even bad mouthing them, never mind actually hurting them.

Both Emerald and Mercury had almost died. Mercury twice. It did make sense Ruby was the most defensive of them.

Qrow may be holding back, but Mercury seemed to be as well. It would take him a while to focus. He had grown used to living with a lot of people. The house was much quieter now.

The sparring matches lasted quite a while. Stamina wasn't a problem. At first, Qrow wasn't entirely sure what Mercury was trying to do, but then he realised he was trying to manipulate his aura shield. In theory, Mercury could throw a punch as hard as Yang if he put enough aura into it. The main issue was that he didn't know how and was trying to figure it out.

He wasn't doing a bad job; he just needed practice. For quite a while now, he had been the test dummy to help improve the others. He had been perfectly fine working on his own about his abilities but he did need a sparring partner. Qrow was happy to help.

In their next break, he decided to ask. "Why are you putting aura into your legs? I thought they needed the least protection."

"They do." He gulped down the water. "I was just wondering if I could use my aura to block the effects of a Semblance."

Huh. That was an interesting idea. "Got anyone in mind?"

"Yeah, but she's on Remnant. She tends to be subtle with her Semblance, so I can practice here and challenge her when we get back."

"Define 'subtle'."

"Most of her opponents don't realise she's doing it." Mercury finished the bottle. "These tournament matches…How do they monitor aura levels?"

Now that he mentioned it… "Very badly when it comes to you. You cheat it. That means you're going to have to listen to the commentary."

"…Who's commentating?"

"Doubt that's been decided yet. Of all the preparations, that one's last minute."

"Why not just get the General to do everything? He's practically boycotted the thing anyway. May as well make himself useful. Except as a commentator. He's not allowed to do that."

"He's in charge of an army, not a crowd. I wouldn't put him in charge of a DJ." Qrow would fight very hard if Ironwood decided he wanted to commentate. If he could wrangle it, he would have picked Lee Jordan or Luna Lovegood to do it.

"Yet he's in charge of an army and a school? Don't Atlas Huntsmen tend to work for their army?"

"Quite often. One reason why the paranoid people don't get along with the good General."

"I assume other reasons are due to his habit of bringing an army to Vale with no cover story for the people whatsoever?"

"That might have turned a few heads." Qrow stood up. "One more before dinner?"

"Sure."

"How do you feel about swords?"

"Can use one, but not a fan."

The next spar was simple. No trying techniques or any of that. Just a good old fashioned fight, although Mercury didn't use his Semblance. Apparently the ability to go through doors that weren't open was not an Aura Wielder ability. Handy. He expected Mercury to use it off the battlefield.

 _Not all Semblances are solely for the battlefield._

Mercury disappeared into the games living room after dinner. While most of the games they had were due to multiplayer, quite a few had solo campaigns. That should give him something to do when he wasn't working or training. The main problem was that the adults were probably going to be out of the house a lot. After a while, Mercury probably would be too.

For the moment, Mercury seemed happy enough to have the house mostly to himself.

Qrow had left the house at 10pm, heading to Knockturn Alley. Quite a few of the Death Eaters had kids and so would have seen them off that day. They could have gone out for a round and if there was alcohol, maybe he would overhear something. He wasn't expecting much, but he wouldn't know until he tried.

Unlike a lot of criminals he normally tracked, these guys had no sense of situational awareness. Somehow, that didn't surprise him.

Then the idiots had their drinks outside the pub. They were making this far too easy. Were they that confident no one would be near enough to hear them? Did Knockturn Alley have that much of a reputation?

 _Why not meet in one of their homes?_

Qrow remained in crow form. There was no chance of them spotting him and any magic they cast would tell them he was not a magical, so they would assume he was a normal animal. They didn't do anything like that.

"So? How many noticed their 'Saviour' wasn't there?" one jeered. Qrow didn't recognise him.

"Potter was there." That was definitely Malfoy Snr. "I received a letter from my son on the train. Potter is unharmed."

"How? There was no magic in that area that day and no one, not even a muggle, was Kissed."

"Who cares? The Dark Lord's not going to be pleased to hear that."

Someone needed to describe subtlety and common sense to these morons. It wasn't going to be Qrow.

"Always thought that woman was all talk."

"She's teaching at Hogwarts now. Our good Minister is being very helpful. Diggory's about to be demoted due to 'emotional stress' and with that goes most of Bones' support. With no investigation and no evidence, no one is going to believe Potter, even if Dumbledore does. A few more pushes and we can get the man out of Hogwarts."

 _'That woman was all talk'…'She's teaching at Hogwarts now'…Could both those statements really be true? That would mean that the new DADA professor was the one who sent the dementors after Harry. And now she was in the same castle as him and the girls._

She wasn't going to be staying there for long. The only question was whether she was a Death Eater or just corrupt. It didn't matter either way. That was assuming Qrow's conclusion was correct.

Malfoy Snr seemed to be the ringleader and he was very knowledgeable of things in the Ministry. He wasn't wrong about what would happen if Amos was demoted, but they would have to spin that very well. An investigation could only be blocked for so long.

 _There may be no evidence Riddle is back, but there was no evidence Riddle was gone in the first place._

"Just because there is no evidence doesn't mean they won't be believed. People are starting to believe Sirius Black wasn't the mass murderer they originally believed him to be."

"Apollo Cassandra. The Minister is very upset with him and our new professor is very interested in finding out their true name." _Good luck with that._ "He won't be a problem for much longer."

Movement in the shadows a little way away caught Qrow's attention. They were heading towards the group, but its movements were somehow odd. Qrow didn't know why.

"He wasn't caught last year."

"No one was really looking for him then."

"Dumbledore won't allow a student to be expelled while he's Headmaster."

"That won't be a problem." The shadowed figured had joined them now. "Greyback. How is your pack?"

"Bloodthirsty. What do you want?"

"An offer of peace between us. Would you be interested in a truce? The Dark Lord has much to offer."

"The Dark Lord? He means nothing to me. What does he have to offer?"

"What would you be interested in?"

Greyback growled. It sounded a lot more like an animal than Qrow usually heard. The growl became a laugh. He was still laughing as he turned around and walked away. He Disapparated once he turned the corner.

"Disgusting animal."

Malfoy Snr responded in a voice that said he completely agreed. "It is not our place to question our Lord. An attack dog is still dog."

Annoyingly, this was when the group headed inside.

Qrow waited for ten minutes, but they never came out again. They had probably already headed home by now. Another glance down the alley showed no one around. Maybe they had had a good reason for not worrying about eavesdroppers.

With no reason to stick around, Qrow decided to head back. Spying and gathering intel did require both skill and luck and this was his best hit for over a month. It probably wouldn't be good in court, but he was finding that these matters would need to be settled outside of court.

It was about one in the morning when he got back to the house. All the lights were off, suggesting everyone had gone to bed. However, when he passed the kitchen, he thought he heard movement inside, though they were very quiet. Almost impossible to hear, in fact. This was either someone who couldn't sleep or a very lucky burglar that had managed to find his way into an unfindable house.

When he opened the door, Qrow could only make out a silhouette. Curious, he flicked the light switch.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see it was Mercury. He was just surprised how comfortable he was in pitch black darkness.

"You know Mercury, we do pay an electric bill."

"Some people use money from a dragon to go travelling or pay for luxuries. We use it to pay the bills."

"There are worse ways to make a living." That was one interpretation of the word 'Huntsman'. "I don't need to tell you to use your money."

Mercury chuckled as he shrugged. He had been making a sandwich; either chicken or turkey along with tomatoes. "No need to waste. This planet is starting to have problems with global warming."

"Uh huh." Since when did he care? "No problems with the dark. Are you a Faunus?"

That chuckle became a laugh. "Don't you think I would have mentioned that?"

"Not if it wasn't relevant."

"Twice in a hospital."

"Mammal." Qrow had initially asked the question as a joke, but this little chat was planting the seed of curiosity.

Mercury shrugged. "By that logic, all humans are Faunus."

Okay, Qrow was not really in the mood for a scientific debate. He was also very doubtful either of them knew much about the specifics of the topic. All he knew was that only a very specific blood test could differentiate a mammal Faunus from a human. Insect and reptile were quite obvious, but mammal wasn't and if Mercury was a Faunus, that was what he must be.

Qrow himself took a look in the fridge. He was feeling a little peckish.

"Want a drink?" Mercury had been boiling water in the kettle.

"Coffee. One sugar."

"Right. Who was the one who introduced coffee to Ruby?"

"I think Yang stole Tai's once and gave it to her." Although how Ruby decided she liked cream and five sugars was something he wasn't sure of. "She was eight when she first asked for it."

"And Taiyang gave it to her."

Tai never could resist the puppy eyes. "To be fairer, there was far more milk than coffee. Not sure how much she could actually taste."

Mercury grabbed two mugs. Apparently he was after hot chocolate. "Don't suppose that's when she figured out her Semblance?"

Now he mentioned it… "She started drinking it properly when she was thirteen. The day after that, funnily enough." Her aura was only unlocked a few months before that, so he may have a point. "Is she losing that speed for petal transformation?" He hadn't seen her dash around very often, though it was impressive to see her defying the law of gravity when she burst into rose petals.

"She can. She doesn't tend to often."

Qrow had settled on the basic buttered toast. He wasn't that hungry.

Mercury slid his coffee over.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Mercury shrugged. "Guess I'm not tired."

"Or you've grown used to sharing a bed." Qrow was aware the three shared a bed. He was also aware that was all it was at the moment and it was probably going to stay that way for quite a while. It was close to a year since Mercury had slept in a different bed and that was when Emerald was injured and he didn't want to aggravate her wounds. He hadn't been alone since much longer before that.

Now that he thought about it, Qrow rarely saw him away from both girls. At Hogwarts, he could have counted them on one hand and nearly all of them were extreme training sessions.

Mercury studied him from the corner of his eye. "…Maybe."

That was a definite 'yes' that he wasn't quite willing to admit to, but not willing to deny either.

"If you want, you can go back tomorrow." Qrow didn't have a problem if he had changed his mind. It hadn't really been Mercury's idea to stay behind. Qrow was sure he had seen this as an order in the guise of an option and he was never sure Mercury felt as secure as Emerald did.

Sometimes, Qrow wondered if Mercury still thought he would get rid of him if he had to. Their avoidance of the Fall Maiden certainly suggested that they had not forgotten.

"It's fine."

Qrow really hated that phrase when his kids used it when they were obviously not fine.

 ** _[I live and die for them. I would never hurt them.]_**

And Qrow knew. He knew what lessons the girls wanted him to learn.

"What do you want to do when you leave Beacon, Silvertongue?"

"Don't people go to Combat Schools to become Huntsmen?"

"Most of the time. But you went to the school to stay with the girls. So what do you want to do?"

Mercury's answer was quick enough. "Never gave it much thought." But was different from what he told Barty. "It's not like I have much of a choice."

"You do have that choice if you want it. What do you think is going to happen when you graduate?"

There was an odd smile there. "Honestly? I doubt I'll live that long."

 _Has he thought that all this time? How tired is he that he's actually talking about it? Or is it because the girls aren't here? They certainly wouldn't be happy to hear that._

"I'll say something nice at your funeral." That got a chuckle. "You honestly think that?"

Mercury shrugged in a rather carefree way considering the topic. "If Cinder or one of her group doesn't end up killing me, you don't need me anymore. No longer a need for a stay of execution."

It took quite a few seconds for that to register to Qrow. He knew Mercury knew better than that by now. So what brought this on?

"You're family to us Silvertongue. We don't throw away family."

"Even if you had no choice?"

"There's always a choice. Your options may suck, but you still have a choice. And we're keeping you and screw Cinder." He and Tai would take on Salem herself if they had to, to keep their family safe.

The sandwich had been eaten pretty quickly. He was nursing the hot chocolate though. Maybe he had been able to get to sleep, but something had woken him. Maybe not as strong as a nightmare, but something not far off.

He was now alone in the house with Ozpin (General in charge), Glynda (Second in command) and Amber (his possible executioner). Maybe Qrow was the only one he could be sure of.

Maybe Mercury no longer felt safe.

Normally Qrow tried to keep a balance. Close enough to see his family grow and to help them when they did or didn't needed it. Far enough away that they weren't victims of his Semblance. Tai had always hated he wasn't always around. None of the kids had said it, but he knew they felt it. He couldn't hide behind Tai now.

The lessons that the girls wanted Mercury to learn...

The problem was that Mercury didn't live for himself. He was born and raised to be a pawn on a chessboard; to follow orders whether it's due to a contract or an employer. He had no value of his own life. Excellent for a soldier; terrible for someone who wasn't.

The girls hoped that by spending time away from him, he'll learn.

 _Tough love, huh._

The problem wasn't that Qrow couldn't or didn't want to help him. The problem was that it put Mercury dangerously close to Qrow's Semblance and the only thing that could counter skill and experience was luck. If something happened to him, it was Qrow's fault and could have been avoided.

Still, Mercury did need help. Beacon was a good start, but Hogwarts had been many massive steps back. He probably didn't even know what was wrong.

"So what happens to us when Cinder's dead?"

"Whatever you want."

"We still attacked a Maiden."

"Are you going to do it again?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

Mercury just raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

Maybe the first step was convincing him he had a future. It was logical to think that once Cinder had been killed, the pair would be disposed of. They had attempted to commit a very grave crime. He, Tai, Yang and Ruby knew that they weren't the same people. Emerald knew it. Even Amber knew it.

Mercury was the one that needed convincing. That would not be quick or easy, especially as he had not learned these lessons already.

"If Amber was going to hurt you, she would have done it by now."

"We're kind of useful at the moment."

"She doesn't care about that." Qrow sighed. "How many times have I told you most people don't think the same way you do?"

"I gave up counting after thirty."

Qrow honestly wasn't expecting to get an answer to that. "And it hasn't sunk in yet."

Mercury smiled innocently. "Some of it did."

"Apparently not enough." How best to put this? "You're human Mercury. You made a choice. That makes you responsible. With me so far?"

"Yes?"

"Now, most people are interested in revenge. They don't think long term. You may have disappeared that day, but Amber knew I took you in. She was angry, but not as much as I expected." Nowhere near as much actually and that was before she knew Emerald's story. "If she wanted revenge, she could have killed you and Emerald that day at Beacon. It's not like we would have been able to stop her."

The hot chocolate was gone. "Maybe she didn't want to kill in front of Ruby."

That was a fair point. "What about now? It would be fairly easy to pass off a death in Hogwarts as a spell gone wrong. Maybe some idiot created Fiendfyre and you were trapped. She doesn't know about your Semblance and we didn't know about it until very recently either. No one would know."

"…So why didn't she?"

"Do you remember when Yang found out about Marcus? She wanted you out of the house." Mercury was almost chuckling as he nodded. "It's a similar situation here. It's not forgiven or forgotten. It's just been put to rest. You're fine."

"Ironwood would disagree."

Ironwood could go jump off a cliff. "There's nothing he can do. He can't exactly complain when the person you attacked didn't." Qrow wasn't sure why Amber was so lenient towards them, but he knew she would have made her displeasure known by now if that was the case. "He may be powerful, but in Atlas. Vale is Oz's domain and I know Oz well enough. It's your life and your future."

There was a brief quiet.

"I honestly don't know. I'm not a Huntsman Qrow."

"In reality, most aren't. Huntsmen pick their missions. I imagine the ones you pick would be different to the ones Ruby would pick. If you don't want to be a Huntsman, you don't have to be. You're not at Beacon for fighting skills." It had been for social skills, which he was doing well. When it came to fighting skills, he and Emerald could probably graduate before they applied.

"I assume that putting 'assassin' on my résumé probably isn't a good idea?"

Qrow smiled in amusement. "Would win you points in Vacuo and Mistral, but wouldn't advise it in Vale and definitely not Atlas."

"But it's a useful skill for a Huntsman?"

"Guerrilla warfare. Hate to say it, but it happens. We couldn't exactly take you to trial without risking revealing about the Maidens and if they find out we imprison or worse execute without one…"

"There would be a panic."

"And then there would be a Grimm invasion."

"Rather counter-productive."

Qrow studied Mercury's face. His words seemed honest, but his expression was closed. "At the end of the day, the only person you have to live with is yourself. Whatever you pick."

Mercury couldn't use his Gems as his compass forever.

* * *

Harry learned the next morning that his Mondays were not going to be fun. Potions, Divination and DADA all on the same day. It was a nightmare.

Ron groaned about it as well. More than once during breakfast, he said he wanted Fred and George to finish their Skiving Snackboxes. Harry fully intended to skive Divination anyway. He had found out you didn't need to be in the classes to take an OWL. Either you were a Seer or you weren't. Given that he was sure he was going to fail it, Harry was going to self-study.

Madam Longbottom had given him exercises and scenarios to complete. Harry had managed to get his mail sent to Scapolite Sanctuary and Dobby picked it up to give to him in the Room of Requirement. He doubted whatever mail wards were on him before were going to get removed anytime soon, especially now Riddle had returned.

"Harry?" He turned his head to look at Hermione. "Are you okay? You've been quiet."

Harry shrugged. "Fine." He did see a lot of people staring at him, but he ignored them. It wasn't anything new. "I've just got the feeling this is going to be a long year." And unless something changed, probably his last.

"Harry…just ignore them okay? They'll know soon."

 _They'll know and then they'll dump Riddle on me. A fifteen year old. No way. I have no reason to help you cowards. You made Riddle, you deal with him._

Harry wasn't stupid. They had had a war already and nothing had changed. Lily and James Potter were war heroes and Lily Potter was still called a mudblood. Criminals bribed their way out of prison and innocents were thrown in prison or Kissed without trial.

Why would anything change this time?

Potions hadn't changed. Snape snarled at them about the importance of OWLs, commented that some didn't have the skill to do well (while glaring straight at Harry), put the instructions on the board and left them to it.

It wasn't teaching. Harry had learned more from Ruby when she was failing to make an insanely advanced potion. At least she knew how ingredients react to each other.

 _That was probably because their Headmaster wouldn't let them brew any potions until they knew enough about it and common ways they go wrong. Or how to blow up a cauldron so they won't do it._

"Potter!"

Harry just stared blankly at Snape. He only had to put up with him for this year and then they would never see each other again.

"Can you read Potter?"

"Yes sir."

"What is the seventh line?"

Harry read it again. "'Add the remaining hairs and stir clockwise 3 times'." Three times. Harry initially read that as two. Snape needed handwriting lessons.

"Is that what you did?"

"No."

"Precisely." Snape Vanished his potion. Again. "That's a zero for the day."

Seeing that Harry's potion had been the right colour (if a little too pale) and Crabbe's was orange, Harry shrugged. "That's fine. The only marks that matter this year are my OWLs." He looked Snape in the eye. "And you won't be grading those."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor." Snape stalked away.

None of the Gryffindors were happy with him. Harry didn't care. He didn't care if Snape failed him all year. He had given up caring about House Points years ago. With Snape taking points left, right and centre from other Houses while McGonagall gave them out fairly, Slytherin were always going to win unless last minute points were given. All that fuss for coloured banners at the end of the year.

Besides, most of the people here were already unhappy with him. He was greatly looking forward to telling them to get lost when they brought up Riddle when they finally accepted he had returned.

Seamus caught up with him. "What was that about Potter?"

"Take a wild guess Seamus."

"We're back to zero now!"

"Snape taking points from me for no reason is nothing new. What's your problem?"

"You! You're my problem!"

"Then leave me alone and we'll both be happy." Harry sped up a little and turned the corner to slip behind a tapestry before Seamus could respond.

 _One more year._

Harry had used a computer to get onto the message board Qrow had used to find Hogwarts. He was now in contact with twenty-three of the muggleborns and half-bloods that were very interested in his plan, with more having an interest in it. After all, they were making minimal wage. Harry had the money to start the company and was very quickly getting the knowledge to run it. It was definitely multi-purpose, including law, warding, tutoring and inventing.

Ironically, he still didn't know what he wanted to name it.

Professor Goodwitch had been willing to meet with them while Harry was in Hogwarts and send the information on. They had many ideas of their own and Harry liked them. A recent graduate, John Smith, was a genius.

Skiving Divination, Harry headed to the Room to look up what grade his potion was likely to have gotten him. The answer: EE.

 _Snape is a git._

The sad thing was that Potions was what Harry had been looking forward to the most when he entered First Year.

Putting it out of his mind, he called Dobby and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the letter pile he had. Professor Goodwitch had sent him photos of the three buildings in London he was thinking about starting the law offices in. There were four that wanted to be lawyers. Ruling out one of the buildings, he put the other photos aside to send on to them. They were the ones that would have to work there, after all.

He received a letter from most of his new contacts. He would have to run some of the suggestions past Ren to see if Ancient Runes could actually do that. Then he would need to consider the required materials and where to get them.

He received a very positive response from his three possible warders. One even came from a family of four children and had been very angry she couldn't show them what she had learned. She had gone abroad to study, but her family still lived in Britain and she wanted to come back. They were now in close contact with the expected lawyers to triple check every law.

The idea of tutoring was moving forward a little more slowly. Potions had gained a very enthusiastic result and so had History of Magic. DADA was touch and go depending on the year and who was teaching, so Harry expected those results to vary. Application of Ancient Runes was popular, as was Duelling. The other subjects were not, which was fair enough considering who taught them. The only question was Care of Magical Creatures. As much as Harry liked Hagrid, he did need to learn which animals were appropriate for which year.

He would talk to Blake about that. She had been trying to get through to him last year.

" _Tempus_." DADA started in fifteen minutes. Time to move.

His responses were given to Dobby for Hedwig to send on from Scapolite Sanctuary. The mail wards also messed with his letters going out, so Hedwig was to wait for mail there. She had still arrived at breakfast to say hello.

Harry arrived at DADA with three minutes to spare. Quite a few students were hanging around outside. This teacher was an unknown, so they were unsure how far they could push. Personally, Harry wasn't expecting much.

On the clock, the door opened. The students exchanged a glance, then filed into the classroom silently.

Professor Umbridge was sitting behind her desk. She had a smile on her face. It looked unreal.

 _Someone I feel this is going to be a long class._

"Good afternoon class."

Most gave her confused looks. Harry vaguely remembered what to do from primary school, but he stayed quiet. He did remember her addressing them as if they were five years old the night before and that seemed to be a habit.

 _This is going to be a very long class._

"Now, now. I expect a 'good afternoon Professor Umbridge'. Let's try that again. Good afternoon class."

"Good afternoon Professor Umbridge," the class drilled back.

She didn't notice the lack of enthusiasm. "Much better." She stood up and waved her wand at the board. A few lines began to write. "This year is a very important year for you. This year is your OWL year. I have high expectations of you." The lines finished writing. "Now, does everyone have Wilbert Slinkhard's 'Defensive Magical Theory'?"

"Yes Professor Umbridge."

Harry had a copy. Sirius had read it and had called it some very unsavoury things. Harry had then read it himself and had wanted to burn it. Instead, he had kept it as a 'what not to do'.

"Then please open your books to Chapter One and there will be no need to talk."

 _That's it?_

For a few seconds, no one moved. Umbridge did that annoying 'hem, hem' and everyone silently reached into their bags. The books were dropped onto the desks and opened. Umbridge sat back down and smiled at the scene.

The room was quiet.

Harry got bored quickly. This book was worthy of nothing but firewood and a Defence Against the Dark Arts Class should not be used for reading a book. They could do that in their spare time. This should be used for practicing spells so the professor could tell them how they could improve.

 _It would be more productive to skive this class too, but I doubt the Minister would be very happy with that._

After five minutes, Harry caught sight of Hermione in the corner of his eye. She was staring at Umbridge with her hand in the air. Finding this far more interesting, Harry ignored his book and tried to think of a reason why Hermione's was still closed in front of her. He honestly never thought he would see the day she refused to read.

Another five minutes and everyone chose to stare at Hermione.

Apparently, even Umbridge couldn't ignore the situation anymore. "Do you have a question about the chapter, dear?"

 _'Dear'? She does think we're five years old._

"Not about the chapter professor. I had a question about your course aims."

"I would think they were quite clear miss…?"

"Granger professor. There is no mention on using defensive spells?"

Most of the class turned their gaze to the board. Harry hadn't noticed, but he could guess from the lesson plan that they weren't going to be using defensive spells. Why the Minister wanted them to fail their OWLs Harry didn't know and he didn't care. He was quite sure he would pass and the others' failure were due to the Ministry.

Umbridge made a sound that made it clear she thought that was the most ludicrous idea she had ever heard. "Why would you need to use spells in my classroom?"

For a moment, the silence continued.

Then Ron broke it. "We're not going to use magic?"

"Hand Mr Weasley." She stood up and walked to the front of her desk. "I understand that your education in this subject has been rather fragmented. You were even taught by dangerous beasts-"

Dean actually growled. "If you're talking about Professor Lupin-"

"Hand!" Dean glared at her. "Do not interrupt when I am talking. That is rude. The Ministry has been concerned about your education and have taken steps to ensure the approved curriculum suits all your needs."

Harry put his hand up.

Silence.

Umbridge smiled patronisingly at him. "Is there something you would like to say, Mr Potter?"

"I thought there was a practical assessment of our OWLs. Does that mean the first time we perform these spells will be in front of our examiners?"

Umbridge blinked at him. He had clearly thrown her. She was probably expecting him to go off about Riddle. This 'class' was supporting Harry's theory that the Ministry was far more dangerous than Riddle. If they didn't want to listen, then they couldn't order him to help later.

"If you have studied the material closely enough, then you should have no problems."

Hermione's hand went up. Umbridge ignored her. Knowing what Hermione wanted to say, Harry put his hand up as well.

"Mr Potter?"

"I read this assigned text over the summer professor and there is no mention on how to perform the spells." Sirius had gone on quite a rant for that. "How do we know which spells to study so hard so we can perform them for the first time in front of examiners?"

"You study Mr Potter. Now return to your texts."

Ron and Hermione turned to look at Harry. He returned his gaze to his book. Sirius and Professor Ozpin told him to hold his temper and not go looking for trouble. He had no interest in spending his time in detention for no reason.

Neville caught his eye and nodded slightly. He approved at least. Harry knew his grandmother wouldn't be happy to hear about this and it would be better coming from her than coming from students.

The rest of the class passed without incident, save for Umbridge drilling holes into Harry. Having had to deal with Snape and the Dursleys, Harry wasn't impressed.

There was no homework at least.

Harry slipped out and headed towards the Room. When he saw Hermione, Ron and Neville following, he slowed to a stop.

"Even Lockhart was better," Harry started. His books might have been fraudulent, but they had still happened.

"What was that Harry?" Hermione asked. "She's the Undersecretary to the Minister. You should have told her about Voldemort."

"Why?"

"What?"

"What do you mean: 'why'?" Ron scowled.

"Precisely that," Harry responded. "Fudge has made the decision Riddle isn't back. If Madam Bones couldn't convince him, I'm not going to be able to. He sent Umbridge here. What do you think she is going to think?"

Hermione bit her lip. "The Prophet said the investigation-"

"The same Prophet that is making snide comments about a fifteen year old? Fudge listens to Malfoy, who listens to Riddle. There is no point."

Hermione opened her mouth.

"He's right Hermione," Neville interrupted. "Fudge isn't going to change his stance unless Riddle is thrown in front of his face. I've heard things about Umbridge and none of them good. It's best to stay out of her way."

"But-"

"Hermione, they're not letting us use magic." Harry knew she was smarter than this. "This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, not muggles. As long as Fudge is in charge, Riddle is dead. No point trying to tell him any different."

Harry's mind drifted to the communications mirror sitting in his trunk. Maybe Sirius had some good news. Or at least, could explain how ruining their education might keep Fudge in office.

* * *

Ruby had not been having a good day.

It had taken a while for her and Emerald to drop off last night and their morning started slow.

At breakfast, Professor Umbridge had been studying them very closely. Emerald had warned them to tread carefully around her; that she was someone who should not be treated lightly. She was far more dangerous than she appeared.

Professor Umbridge made Ruby nervous. She was very glad she wasn't in any of her classes.

The attitude of the Hogwarts students had changed. Any problems they had with them last year appeared to be gone or at least greatly lessened. All of them seemed friendly to them, though Ruby did notice they tended to avoid Harry.

It was almost as if the majority of them had forgotten Cedric had died a few months ago.

She also did _not_ like the way some of the wizards were looking at Emerald. Surely they didn't think they were that shallow?

Herbology was okay. Professor Sprout didn't comment on the fact that Yang, Ruby and Emerald were back in her Second Year class. The Hogwarts students gave them an odd look, but nothing else.

 _Mandrakes. They're uglier than I thought they would be._

Ruby attended Divination with the Fifth Years, though she still didn't understand why Professor Trelawney had wanted that. She noticed Harry never showed and wished him luck with whatever he was using his time for. This class was introducing dream interpretation. Emerald commented that was more psychology than foretelling the future.

Emerald had Muggle Studies. Ruby tagged along, not wanting to be separated from her today. One glare from Emerald prevented any questions from the students. The professor didn't comment either. Maybe she knew Ruby already knew about uses of electricity.

Then they had two hours before their Combat Class.

Ruby, Yang and Emerald all wrote letters to Mercury, which Winky happily took, and settled down to play Monopoly. Just before they started, Zephyr showed up. He took one look at the board.

"Can I play?"

"Sure," Yang replied. "The more the merrier. Now prepare to lose!"

Zephyr scoffed. "Watch and learn."

Half the properties were gone when Winky popped back in with three letters. Mercury's handwriting. It was Zephyr's roll, but he was waiting. With a grateful smile, Ruby opened hers.

'Hey Ruby,

Rough morning huh? Same. I woke up without my favourite teddy bears. My favourite cuddly teddy bears. Besides that, nothing interesting happening here. I did find a way to test our good luck charm and here's a hint: never play Qrow at anything. He cheats.'

 _I knew it. Favourite cuddly teddy bears huh?_

'I imagine it's not just Em that is getting stares Ruby. You'll find them looking at you too. I noticed it last year. Let's just say I wasn't happy, but the worst ones kept their distance. The others at least wanted to be friendly first. Don't worry Ruby, Em can handle herself. I know you can handle yourself too. You're a cute little rose, but I've seen your thorns. You can be a little meanie when you want to be.'

 _Doesn't mean I like it. People interested in me? I love my Emery. And don't call me little Merc._

'Ruby, you are shorter than me. I can still call you 'little'.'

 _Not fair. You can cheat._

'It'll get better Ruby. It hasn't been one day. Isn't that what you always say? Things will be better tomorrow. Just let things settle down a bit. Take it one day at a time.'

 _First days can be rough. It took a few days for Jaune and Weiss to be okay with each other after all. Maybe…One day at a time…_

'I miss you too Ruby. I'll see you soon.

Love

Merc'

Ruby stared at that last bit with a smile. It was quite rare for Merc to say it, but he did.

 _Love you too Merc._

Ruby slipped the letter into her pocket, her mood visibly brightened. The first day was always going to be the hardest. Besides, she could sneak to Hogsmeade and meet Mercury there anytime.

Emerald had a happy smile of her own.

Yang nodded with a grin and pocketed her letter. After a glance at them, she looked at Zephyr. "Okay, time to roll."

Ruby was the first out.

Yang was second.

The game between Emerald and Zephyr went on for a while. She had the oranges and greens, he had the dark blues and light blues. The other properties were random. The game was still going when Professor Goodwitch entered. They didn't pack it away for Combat Class, but put it to the side.

Today, Professor Goodwitch had them training against Grimm. The seven were given seven Alpha Beowolves to take down. These were just as good as originals and so moved together as a pack. The main advantage they had was that there was nowhere for the Beowolves to hide to ambush them.

It did take Ruby a few seconds to focus properly though. Then the seven Alphas were history. She did feel a little bad for the one Nora and Blake used almost as a skipping rope to swing it into Yang's Ember Celica.

Emerald won the Monopoly game within half an hour of sitting down to play it.

Zephyr groaned. "That was uncalled for." He had managed to land on two oranges and one green in one lap of the board. He was stuffed at that point.

"I call this game luck based," Emerald agreed. "With a few tricks that can help."

"Next time, we're playing Bingo. How about tonight?"

Yang grinned. "Usual stakes? High or low?"

"Bingo is definitely complete luck. So low."

"Sounds good," Ruby nodded. "To make it fair, one of your team has to be the caller."

Zephyr shrugged happily. "I think we can guess who's going to volunteer." He stood up. "Now I've got the fun job of finding them." He left with a smile.

Nora. She would make a great announcer or commentator for a television show. Maybe one of those quiz shows where everyone seemed to forget basic knowledge. Maybe she would be willing to do voiceovers for one of those soap operas some of their classmates liked.

Ruby giggled.

Yang smiled and dragged her sister into a one armed hug. "Got a thought in mind?"

"I was just thinking about Nora narrating a soap opera with Grimm actors instead of people."

They all laughed at that.

 _One day at a time._

* * *

 **The thought about Thestrals was an interesting one. The answer to Mountain Glenn was that they were going out of their way to avoid killing the White Fang and it wouldn't really occur to Ruby and Yang what happened to the Paladins that got knocked off. My theory is that, if Harry couldn't see them after killing the Basilisk which was sentient enough to talk, then maybe it is linked to human death. I might be wrong about that.**

 **One thing about the sixth book interested me. It does seem to suggest that Harry would be a good student in Potions as with that book written by the Half-Blood Prince, he seems to enjoy the subject.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	14. Calm Before the Storm

**In no way am I associated with Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

'HIGH INQUISITOR OR HIGH DECLINE?

Written by Apollo Cassandra

Due to Professor Dumbledore being unable to find a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, the Minister stepped in and appointed one himself. Given his statements on the quality of Hogwarts education, we all had high hopes for this professor.

Unfortunately, she falls short.

For the past week, for all her classes from First Year to Seventh Year, the same textbook has been read that mentions no use of spells. How can the same textbook be used for First Years and Seventh Years? She has stated that magic is not to be used and that the first time we will use these spells will be in front of our examiners. It might just be my class, but only one or two can perform a spell the first time and even they make mistakes, sometimes not being able to repeat it.

I expect a lot of students will be failing their DADA OWLs and NEWTs and all of last week, students were complaining about professors drilling them on their importance. Apparently Professor Umbridge doesn't agree and she states she has the full Ministry backing. I doubt that, seeing as a high OWL in DADA is necessary to work with the DMLE.

I don't know what Mr Malfoy is claiming, but I fail to see how failing our most important exams is in our 'best interest'. His son is in his OWL year, so I wonder if Mr Malfoy cares about his son's education or what excuses he'll give for the T he is inevitably going to earn.

This does make me wonder though. Why is the teacher that has only been here a week and has done no teaching whatsoever responsible for evaluating the other professors? What qualifications does she have that permit her to do this? One would think she would have to be in education, not necessarily at Hogwarts, but at some schools for several years so she would have strong understanding of competence.

Her own lessons prove otherwise.

If all the professors are held to the same standard Professor Umbridge holds herself to, I fear Hogwarts is going to turn into a school for muggles with a very bleak future.'

* * *

The first week had been slow, like one long History of Magic lesson. Harry had spent most of his free time either in his dorm room on his bed or in the Room, sorting through papers. His homework load may have increased, but as he wasn't doing History of Magic and no DADA was given, it was manageable.

Last Friday though, Fay had said she wanted to focus more on her OWLs this year and would try out for Beater next year, so they had needed a replacement for Keeper. Again Ron tried out and again he got the position with a very stern warning.

Now it was the Monday of the second week. The teachers should no longer be lying to them about the importance of OWLs.

Harry read the Daily Prophet first and scoffed.

 _High Inquisitor? I suppose she needs something to do seeing as she's not teaching._

The Quibbler also ran an article about the High Inquisitor. Reading that made Harry chuckle. They had clearly outdone themselves. A lot of students were glaring at the Staff Table, where Umbridge had turned a puce Uncle Vernon would be proud of. A quick glance at Draco showed he was as red as a tomato.

That certainly made Harry's morning.

The beauty of this article was that, while it was obvious he wasn't a First Year, this Apollo Cassandra could be any year. The focus on the importance of OWLs and NEWTs would put him between Fourth Year and Seventh Year. A nice, broad range.

The only downside was that Harry had DADA today. He knew he wasn't the only one that had asked her about performing magic in front of the examiners for the first time, but he was probably the one she would remember.

Harry wondered how many Howlers the Minister would be getting. Hopefully it was a lot.

According to Sirius, this action of not teaching magic was not a way to keep him in office, but was due to paranoia that Dumbledore was training them as soldiers to take on the Ministry. A bunch of schoolchildren against battle hardy Aurors.

Idiot.

So far, Snape had Vanished all his potions this year and given him a zero for the day. It looked like he was taking full advantage of belittling Harry without damaging his grades and drawing attention. Harry honestly didn't care. If Snape continued to do this for the rest of the week, Harry would skive his class too. He would pay the Remnant group to use their ingredients or buy his own to practice in the Room like they did.

They could expel him, but they couldn't stop him from taking his OWLs. Sirius had explained to him before he left that by entering his Fifth Year, he was automatically signed up for the exams and, unless he was in Azkaban, he still had to sit them. That law had been put through to stop the Headmaster from controlling pureblood heirs, but they had never made it specific to purebloods.

The first Hogsmeade visit was next weekend. Harry was meeting with most of the hopefuls for his company there. The only question was where exactly. The Three Broomsticks was difficult to eavesdrop, but it would be very cramped. The Hog's Head had the space, but it was easy to someone to overhear and he wasn't ready for certain people to know yet. People would probably notice a large group of people going into the Shrieking Shack.

He had until Wednesday to think on it.

While skiving Divination, he started his Transfiguration homework. Vanishing spells had proven to be very useful, as Snape had shown. This was a spell Sirius hadn't taught him yet as he had been focusing on things not taught until NEWT level. Harry was still getting an OWL education after all.

Professor McGonagall wasn't someone he could complain as in regards to a teacher. He could complain about how she conducted her duties as the Head of Gryffindor, but she was working three positions, so something had to take the strain. He honestly couldn't see how she was managing, unless she was using a time turner.

In hindsight, giving one to a thirteen year old with no supervision had been a very stupid idea. Hermione may have used it to find time for her homework and attend classes, but she completely forgot to factor in sleeping and eating. A very avoidable mistake.

The Room made it very easy to do homework. It gave him the books he needed instantly without having to spend hours in the library searching for it. All he needed was a copy of every book that contained references to the Vanishing Charm and it provided. He still needed to go through them, but at least he wasn't exhausted looking through the wrong things.

Harry groaned as he left the Room. He was not looking forward to this DADA class.

No one spoke as they took their seat. Umbridge appeared calm behind her desk.

"We will be reading Chapter Two children. There will be no need to talk."

Harry opened the book. Instead of reading, he chose to go through his mindscape. He wanted more traps on the way to the Gryffindor Common Room to give the impression that was where everything was stored. So far, everything had been balanced around the entire castle.

Movement caught his eye. Hermione had her hand in the air again.

This time, Umbridge didn't ignore her. She stood and walked to her side, talking in a low voice. If she looked up, she would see everyone was still staring. Most of the students were still on the first page of the chapter.

"What is the problem, dear?"

"I've read the whole book professor."

Why Umbridge was surprised, Harry didn't know. He had told her that he had done the same last week and she should know about Hermione's reputation by now.

"Then what does Mr Slinkhard think about Counter-jinxes, Miss Granger?"

"He thinks it is a misnomer to give the appearance that they are acceptable." Guessing by Umbridge's reaction, Hermione was right. "But I disagree."

"You…disagree?"

"Yes. I think-"

"It does not matter what you think, Miss Granger. It is Mr Slinkhard's opinion that matters in this class, not yours. You are no expert." She stood tall again and began to walk back to her desk. Only when she sat down did she realise everyone's attention had been on the two of them. "That will be ten points from Gryffindor Miss Granger."

There were angry mutterings, but no one spoke up. Harry bit his tongue, especially when Umbridge was smiling right at him. His eyes returned to the book. He turned the page and returned to his mindscape. He decided to put a very accurate Basilisk in the dungeons. It probably wouldn't destroy a Legilimency probe, as the Basilisk Harry met had not killed anyone but Petrified them. That didn't take away the fact it was a deadly guardian. He put a Blast-Ended Skrewt in the DADA classroom.

Every few minutes, he turned a page despite not reading a word of it.

The entire lesson, Harry was very sure Umbridge was glaring at him. It made her smile very unnerving.

They got homework this time: an essay on the dangers of werewolves. The entire class glared at her, but no one said anything. Harry pressed his teeth together and channelled that anger into the Blast-Ended Skrewt in his mindscape Hogwarts.

Harry wasn't great at supressing emotions, so he channelled them into something else.

He breathed a very heavy sigh of relief when he managed to get out of the classroom without damaging it. He did idly entertain the idea of throttling the woman, but he forced it away.

After a moment, he decided to head back to the Common Room. He wasn't really in the mood to start his Potions homework. With Snape's recent behaviour, Harry didn't really see the point. He walked into a very interesting scene.

Hermione was standing in the centre with her hands on her hips. The Weasley Twins were looking at her with what looked like horror. Harry was impressed and curious. What had happened here?

"Err…Hermione?"

Hermione gave him a glare. "Yes Harry?"

"What's going on?"

"What's going on? They're using their joke products on First Years!"

Harry knew now. His gaze turned to them. "First Years? I assume these are the Puking Pastilles and Nosebleed Nougats?"

"Yes sir." Twin speak. How did they do that?

"You have tested them on yourself?"

"Yes sir."

"You explained very carefully what will happen, what could happen and got their approval?"

"Yes sir. And offered compensation and only one at a time."

That was what Harry had insisted on. If they wanted to sell these joke products, they needed to be sure they would affect everyone the same way and not dangerously. They had to pick First Years that were mature enough to understand the possible dangers, which was why they hadn't been giving it to them last week. He hadn't mentioned anything about compensation, but he could see why.

Hermione's fury was brought onto him. "You knew about this Harry?"

"Yeah. I told them not to slip it into any food and to make sure the kids were informed. I tested them to make sure they were okay on Fifth Years, Colin was happy to test them for Fourth Years when he found out and Dennis the Third Years."

"I cannot believe you agree with this!"

"Would you rather they sell them and then someone gets ill while quite far away from treatment? We know a way to the Hospital Wing from here that takes less than five minutes. All Common Rooms do, even the Slytherins." It was a magic castle.

"Don't do it at all!"

Harry mentally counted to twenty. It was a good way to avoid saying something he would regret. He was also sure that is what Professor Goodwitch did when someone did something. "Hermione, it is not against the rules." The Twins had assured him they were taking advantage of a loophole and even told him which rules that they were sidestepping. "They know what they're doing. Someone is going to create them eventually. There is very little risk. Doctors do it all the time."

"That's different! That's for medicine."

"Let it go Hermione. They're not doing anything wrong."

Hermione's glare faded a little, but her anger didn't. "It's not about the rules Harry. This is wrong. I thought you, of all people, would know that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred demanded.

Hermione threw her hands up and stormed up to her dorm room.

Harry sighed. "Why the Common Room? She's not entirely wrong. Why did you have to do it right in front of her?" He did understand Hermione's point. He also knew that if someone found these test products, they would immediately pass it off as theirs as the profit would be enormous. The Twins always tested their products on themselves and only gave 'finished' products to others to be sure everyone reacted the same.

George shrugged. "We were expecting her to be in the library, as she usually is after her last class. Not today though."

Fred nodded. "Just as well you didn't mention the Fainting Fancies."

"I'm with her on that one, to be honest." It relied on someone else reviving them and he wouldn't put it past the animals that pass as students at this school to leave them there unconscious as a joke. The Twins wouldn't do that, but they could think of people that would.

"And we promised not to sell it."

That wasn't the only thing they had promised not to sell. Nora and Ren had been furious when they found out about the love potions they were thinking about and had really taken them to task about it. Although Harry had not known about it at the time, he had never been more terrified of Nora than at that moment.

Honestly, he hadn't thought much of love potions and their consequences until the fuming pair had spelt it out. Neither had the Twins, which wasn't surprising when Harry remembered what Mrs Weasley had said about using one on Mr Weasley. Even Hermione had giggled at that story. He vaguely recalled seeing the effects of these potions over the years at Hogwarts and passed it off as a bit of a joke. They were seen as pranks.

 _Never again._

The Twins had gone white and had promised. They immediately switched that to Purging Potions.

"What did she threaten you with, anyway?"

"Writing to our mother."

Harry winced at that. Mrs Weasley wanted them in the Ministry. Harry was sure that was why the Twins fudged their exams. There was no way they should have gotten such a low OWL score on Potions and Charms.

"Just…Don't do it in front of her again. Meet them in a classroom or something."

"Will do."

Nearly all of Gryffindor knew about these products by now, even if they were in the testing phase. If they chose not to sell them, someone else would try and they may decide to sneak it into someone's food or accidentally mess it up by ending up with a nosebleed that never stops.

Since when did witches and wizards care about their own safety?

With a shrug, Harry changed his mind. He decided he wanted to train in the Room for an hour until the Beacon students had their Combat Class. They didn't seem to mind him watching. A few times, they had asked for his opinion.

However, half an hour before the class began, Hermione entered. Her anger from before was gone.

"Can I join you?"

The training dummies disappeared. "Sure."

She bit her lip. "About the Twins…"

"Let's just agree to disagree there."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "It could be Lee Jordan and he's much less careful." She stalled for a few seconds again. "If they listen to you, you will keep them in line."

"Yeah. If you're Second Year or above, you should be used to the constant pranks around Hogwarts. First Years aren't, so they are being very careful."

"Harry, they're eleven. That is not very mature."

"You haven't met these kids." Harry had, once each. One muggleborn reminded him a lot of Hermione. He had the feeling he might be offering her a job in a few years. "One from Hufflepuff is as crazy as they are." The word 'apprentice' came up more than once.

Hermione pulled a face. Harry chuckled.

"They aren't be tutored by them are they?"

"Not yet." It was the Twin's final year, so it wasn't likely she would be. Then again, this was Fred and George and they had agreed to teach Fay some Beater skills. "So are you here just for the Twins or…?"

"Well, no. It's about DADA."

"What about Um…bridge?" He almost slipped there. Beacon was rubbing off on him. Hermione wouldn't appreciate the term they used, especially as they had only encountered her in the corridors.

"Well…Seeing as she's not teaching us anything…Would you tutor me?"

It took a few seconds for that question to process in Harry's mind. "Tutor?" Hermione had been the one teaching him these things last year.

"The spells. You're the best in the year. You're probably one of the best of all the students. I can perform charms, but my jinxes need work."

"Sure. Of course. _Tempus._ We have twenty minutes if you want to start now."

"Yes please."

"What do you want to start with?"

"You said you used Bone Breakers. We didn't cover those."

Now she mentioned it, he did recall her thinking it wouldn't be needed, so she had focused more on Charm work. Harry had practiced Bone Breakers with Professor Flitwick and in his spare time, often when Hermione had other classes.

"Alright." Time for the dummies to come back.

Hermione picked up on the spell quickly, but it seemed weak. Even after five minutes of practice, it wasn't getting any stronger. Harry wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. He himself aimed one at the dummy next to it. He wasn't having problems, so why was Hermione? It couldn't be the wand, so what else was there?

 _Maybe…_

"Hermione, what are you thinking when you use the spell?"

Hermione had been looking at her wand in disappointment. "Nothing in particular. Why?"

"Try again, but this time imagine you're in the middle of a fight. A fight with your life on the line."

Hermione looked sceptical, but she took a deep breath and took aim once more.

The first was no different from previous attempts.

Neither was the second.

The third was obviously better. Not as good as Harry's but better than her other tries.

Surprised, the fourth was worse.

"What are you thinking Harry?"

"Well, Charms have a lot of uses. The Levitation Charm can be used to help tidy the room or you can use it to hit a troll in the head. The Bone-Breaking Curse can only really be used in battle, so I think you need to have a battle in mind. Magic is about intent, after all."

Hermione considered that. "A good theory. I never thought about it that way."

The fifth attempt was really good.

So was the sixth and seventh.

"I think you've got it Hermione."

"A great teacher helps."

Harry laughed. "The only good teachers we've had are Lupin and a disguised Death Eater. Says a lot about the others, doesn't it?"

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Harry had never taught anyone.

"Well, Umbridge isn't teaching us anything." That was the first time Harry had heard her disrespect a teacher other than Trelawney. "And with Voldemort back, we need to know how to defend ourselves."

Then Harry saw what she was asking. "No."

"But-"

"No. It is not my job to teach students what they are paying Hogwarts for. I have enough to do as it is. Not to mention the fact a lot of them think I'm crazy and the rest are too terrified to rock the boat."

To his slight surprise, she didn't push the topic completely. "What about Neville? He wants to learn as well. So do Ginny and Ron. Will you teach us at least?"

"I'll…I'll think about it."

Harry wasn't going to deny quite a bit of his problem with Hermione's suggestion was how the school and the Ministry had treated him. A good part of him wanted them to fail their OWLs so even the Ministry couldn't shift the blame then.

There was a good part of him that didn't agree with that. There was a good part of him that still wanted to help wherever he could, but he was starting to get the impression that bailing the Wizarding World out of the mess they created would not prevent them from making the exact same mistakes again.

 _Although if a war didn't teach them that lesson, I don't think anything will._

He and Hermione stuck around to watch their Combat Class. Professor Goodwitch instructed them to stay on a platform above the arena for the fight. This confused them until gigantic, spiked bears appeared. Those terrified them.

Of course the Beacon students disagreed. They had loads of fun fighting and killing them.

The Minister was afraid Dumbledore was training students to take on the Ministry. Harry didn't think he needed to. These seven would probably do very well on their own and with the adults, the Ministry wouldn't stand a chance.

Harry frowned as he watched.

It said a lot that a group from a different world were needed to sort out their problems. Harry could leave and he fully planned to, but they didn't have that luxury. They were trapped in his world until some 'objective' was completed and he knew they _hated_ it here. But they didn't have a choice.

He wasn't willing to help the Wizarding World.

For everything they had done for him, merely because of their morals and not for some overall plan, he owed them big. The least he could do for them is help them get back home.

* * *

Blake followed Harry and Hermione into Hogsmeade. Harry was meeting with his new friends today and Blake wanted to see them for herself. This was not exactly like human-Faunus relations, but the hate was the same.

Blake didn't know how being a Huntress would help Faunus rights. She knew it would help, but she didn't know where to go from there. This meeting may not help, but it might.

Also, Harry asked.

They were meeting in the Three Broomsticks. It would be quite cramped, but they decided it would be better if the chances of eavesdropping were reduced. Harry wanted to go as long as possible before people learned what he had planned.

There was also the fact that Umbitch was very fixated on him. Even Beacon had noticed it and they had never interacted with her, save once when she tried to put Emerald in detention for causing trouble (for once she wasn't). It must have taken quite a bit of effort for Emerald not to laugh at her.

There had been quite a few that couldn't make it. Some currently lived overseas and so had arranged to meet Harry after New Year's. That did make things easier for him in a way. The pub was already packed when the trio arrived.

One of the ones that looked like he had recently graduated saw Harry and waved them over. He put out his hand. "William Brook."

Harry shook it. "Harry Potter. Good to meet you."

"Same. Madam Rosmerta gave us a room upstairs. It would probably be easier than down here."

"Yeah. Good idea."

William led them upstairs. The room contained about fifteen people, but it didn't feel crowded. The room was big enough and everyone was merely chatting. All of them looked between the ages of 18 to 30. Maybe that was a coincidence or maybe those that were older were more settled in the muggle world.

After Harry entered, he got quite a few waves, but most didn't stop their conversations immediately. They finished their sentences before falling quiet.

Harry's eyes went over the group. Blake knew he was nervous, but that couldn't be seen.

"Is this everyone?" There were nods all around. "Well, best start then."

Blake chose to take a seat in the corner, away from the crowd. Hermione sat next to Harry.

One woman spoke up. "Harry…Can I call you Harry?"

"Sure. Isobel…Thomas, is it?"

She nodded happily. "That's me. Well, we've all read what passes as the newspaper. Do you want me to ward the door against eavesdroppers?"

Harry let out a breath. "I'd appreciate that."

She did speak but they were murmurs. After a few moments, the door glowed blue before returning to its normal colour. With a pleased nod, she returned to her chair. "All done."

"Thank you." Harry swallowed. "This is my first meeting, so I might make a few mistakes." There was a brief chuckle. "I've been in contact with all of you and you all know why you're here. This company will have one rule about bigotry: there will be none. I hope it works like it does in the muggle world: we get the best."

"Have a name for it yet?" William asked with a grin.

"Not yet. I thought about getting one we all agree on."

Someone who hadn't spoken yet shook their head. "I think you should pick it and we'll only disagree if we really hate it." Quite a few nodded at that.

"Maybe," Harry replied. "I know we decided on warding. Ms Thomas is certainly good at it. I was wondering if there are any laws against warding muggleborn homes or if we need to come up with something else."

There were a few groups, but they had designated one as a speaker. For those that wanted a career in warding, they had chosen Isobel.

"There are no laws against a muggleborn home, but there are against muggle. It's just that the muggleborn don't know to ask and those that do find it is so expensive they can't afford it."

Harry frowned. "What resources would you need for that? I know some wards can be supported by runes, but what material would be best?"

"The runes often need to be recharged, though how often depends on the wards. We thought about layering the wards; for example a notice-me-not ward on the outside with flame-resistant a few centimetres inside and so on. Some sort of stone we can carve would be best so we could bury it in the ground."

Another of her group added on. "It would be cheapest to get the material from the muggle world. My cousin works at for a construction company and they always have leftovers when they finish a job that they can't use." He reached into his bag and pulled out a roof slate. "This would be suitable for one ward. Even certain rocks would do it, but we need to be careful about nature."

Isobel continued. "We would also need to remove it if the family moved out, even if the ones moving in are also magical. Legally, they need to pay for their own wards."

Harry bit his lip. "How often do the runes need to be recharged? And would you will willing to do that?"

"Depends on the ward and the material used. At the very least, every three years so as long as we keep good records, it shouldn't be a problem. Our suggestion is to get a premises on Diagon Alley so the muggleborns know where to find us."

Harry nodded. "I know some people that are setting up a shop there. I'll see what they say about it. I don't remember there being many vacancies the last time I went."

The next speaker Blake had seen a photo of. Nathan Young. "A place at Diagon Alley would also help to find customers in need of tutoring."

Hermione bit her lip. "Even if there is a spare spot in Diagon Alley, a lot of people are going to want the tutors to come to their homes."

Nathan was in agreement. "Most of it is going to be done in the summer, but they need some way to hire us. We also thought about getting a telephone number. If someone gets a wrong number, they'll think it's a prank number."

"Just get good hold music," was the response by someone else. The others laughed.

Harry was smiling as well. "Okay. That sounds good. I know Potions is one, but are you going to be brewing them?"

That group shared a glance. There were small mutterings for a moment before they turned back.

"No. The problem with Snape was always theory, so that would be where the focus is. For now, at least. That may change later."

Blake had seen Ruby struggling to brew a potion for the past few months. She also knew Ruby had made sure to study each ingredient thoroughly. Only when she was sure she knew what she was doing did she start brewing. Yang was the same.

Only when they understood the theory of the potion did they start to make it.

"And DADA?" Hermione asked. "The client could argue that we're forcing them to have wards if they want to be tutored."

Harry considered. "That could be something to use that space in Diagon Alley for. Depending on the size, we could have a backroom or upstairs for practicing magic."

"What about Voldemort?" one asked.

There was quiet following this.

"What's your name?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Ellis Mills. And isn't that a problem for us? He always targeted the muggleborn. Even now, muggle attacks are on the rise. I'm not saying we form an army, but I have a little sister and parents to protect."

Another nodded. "If Death Eaters crash down my door, I'm putting them down hard."

"I'll teach you how and lend a wand Anthony."

Hermione looked at Harry. For a few moments, he was quiet. Then he spoke.

"When they finally admit he is back, they're going to turn to me. I'm not going to humour them. If I fight him, it's not going to be for them. But you're right. These monsters go for muggles because they can't fight back so easily. They are nothing more than cowards."

There were murmurs of agreement.

"I'm going to tell you the same. Some of you wanted to be Aurors and couldn't because you didn't get the Potions grade. I will say this: if you're going to fight, fight on your terms. The Ministry has no reason to complain with what they've been doing recently."

The silence returned.

"I am going to leave the magical world. I am not going to leave magic. With this company, I hope to do both and give people like me the chance they more than deserve. If there are any other dreams, then I will do my best to help."

Blake remained silent as suggestions were tentatively offered. All of the group discussed ways of making them a reality. A lifetime of studying magic, a Potions Master, an Auror, a lawyer, even writing fiction for bookstores…

Soon, the discussion was confident.

These were discriminated against. But they had decided not to fight back physically. They were choosing to make their own future _regardless_ of the prejudice. They could fight a war and probably win, but they chose not to.

 _It's not that fighting a war would be against their morals. It's that innocents would get caught in the crossfire. That is why I left. We stopped seeing the little people. If the White Fang continue the way they're going and even 'win', we become the tyrants._

 _Dad…This is how quite a few of the meetings went when he was in charge. Every individual was important and when we stood together, we were strong. We didn't discriminate against humans. Some of my friends on those rallies were humans. I haven't seen them in years._

Would becoming a Huntress really make a difference? What did she want to do after she graduated? She wanted equality, but how?

 _Equality. Not superiority._

The peaceful protests of the White Fang before spoke for equality. Their violent attacks now spoke of superiority. That was wrong.

For once, Blake started to feel the new White Fang were part of the problem, even before Torchwick allied with them.

Yang had told her about the original plan at Mountain Glenn. A train to bring Grimm to the heart of Vale. How did that support Faunus rights? It portrayed them as monsters. At least at the beginning they were targeting those that wronged them. Now they didn't care who got hurt. In fact, innocent civilians would be the first to die.

 _Yang said they were working for someone else other than Torchwick. Since when did the White Fang become an organisation for hire?_

Even so, Blake knew that it was only a matter of time before they did it themselves, even without someone else's intervention. They were beginning to forget why they were formed in the first place.

 _Weiss is a good example actually. The White Fang_ caused _her hatred of the Faunus and while she is still a spoilt brat, at least she was never as bad as some of the spoilt brats we've met here. They have no reason for thinking that way. Some on Remnant do and that's_ because _of the White Fang._

 _That's not what we stood for._

Harry's meeting was supposed to go on for two hours. It ended up going on for three.

Blake's disappointment had slowly swirled into determination.

When the meeting broke up, Blake was the first to leave. She did give a nod to Harry and Hermione, who returned it, but she was ready to leave. She needed to think on some things.

She arrived at the bottom of the stairs to see RMEY enter, laughing about something.

Yang had to get that information from somewhere. Blake had known for quite a while that either Emerald or Mercury were connected to whoever was allied with the White Fang. She got the impression from that discussion that they weren't anymore, but maybe she needed to talk with them properly to clear the air. To know what else she was fighting against.

Not right now though.

Yang smiled at her, split from the group and headed towards her with a wave to the others.

"Hi Blake. Thought they'd be done way before now." Blake shrugged. "Come on. Let's leave the lovebirds to it."

Blake smiled as she followed Yang out of the pub. The problem Yang had with these three was that she had adopted Emerald as a sister from the very beginning and Mercury was either a little brother or the annoying cousin she pretended she didn't have. Ruby obviously didn't share that view. She had never seen them as siblings, but then Blake had never heard how they met.

It wasn't any of her business.

"What was the joke?"

"Let's just say Emerald just pulled a very amusing trick on Lucius Malfoy and leave it at that. It is a little annoying we won't see the payoff."

Blake laughed. It wasn't often that the twelve of them (RMEY, JWMP and ZBRN) pulled pranks on people rather than locations or objects, but it was always amusing when they did. They never did anything too harsh.

"What did she do?"

"Not yet. Don't want anyone to hear it. I still don't get how no one saw it but…" Yang shrugged, a grin still on her face. "Like I said, I wish I could see the look on his face when he finds out."

So did Blake. All of them pulled pranks, but RMEY managed ones that she couldn't figure out _how_ they did it. She wondered if Professor Ozpin knew. Most likely; not much seemed to get past him.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." He did set a Basilisk loose to kill kids, after all. Nearly anything that wasn't life threatening would be deserved. "When we get back, how about changing the cafeteria to their four colours?"

"How about another food fight after that?"

Blake chuckled. That had been fun. "So who represents who? I say you're Gryffindor and I think Nora and Ren would be good Hufflepuffs."

"Not sure red's my colour. That's Ruby's and she's a Gryffindor. Emerald and Mercury have got Slytherin down," Yang chuckled. "Mercury in green…" The pair laughed. "Pyrrha's Hufflepuff. Definitely. Weiss…"

"Ravenclaw," Blake guessed. "Well, me and Weiss might be Slytherins but I think we're more Ravenclaw. Jaune's a Gryffindor. Melody…" Where would Melody fit?

"Hmm…" Yang thought about that. "Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. I think…Maybe Gryffindor. No. Definitely Gryffindor."

 _Melody…_

Blake smiled. "Gryffindor."

"That leaves Zephyr."

"Slytherin." That one was easy.

"Right. So the nearest to the doors would be red, far wall yellow…"

"The window wall has to be green. Which leaves the other wall as blue."

"May the best House win!"

The two laughed.

* * *

It was the next day that Umbridge forced through a decree disbanding student organisations and stating that 'no more than three students could meet regularly'.

This very quickly became a joke.

Beacon ignored it completely. When Umbridge slammed them in detention, they didn't show up. Their logic was that they were not Hogwarts students, so the High Inquisitor couldn't touch them for a reason as ridiculous as that and only the Headmaster could ban them from the castle. They told her to take it up with Professor Goodwitch.

That meeting was behind closed doors. No one knew what was said, but none of the students sat any detentions.

Then Emerald walked up to Umbridge and asked for permission to go to class.

"Well professor, a class is a regular meeting involving more than three students each time. Therefore, by the decree's definition, I need to ask your permission. Would you grant it?"

Out of spite, she didn't. As a result, a good number of Hogwarts students didn't go to any of their classes under the same logic. After all, if Emerald didn't get permission, they didn't either and none of them were going to ask Umbridge. She had to give permission at lunch as an announcement.

When Umbridge refused to allow Gryffindor their Quidditch team, Apollo Cassandra put it in the Quibbler and accused the Ministry of trying to destroy long standing traditions. The outcry of both all the students and their parents quickly forced her to grant them permission. No one messed with Quidditch. Ever.

There was then a ban on the Quibbler. No one pointed out the obvious problem with that.

It wasn't long before Umbridge started ordering students to stay behind after class to be interrogated. They were asked about their political stance, their opinions on certain topics and whether they believed the Quibbler was an accurate newspaper.

Naturally, Apollo Cassandra pointed this out and, when those students that replied 'yes' or 'only Cassandra's articles' were put in detention, Apollo queried when exactly Hogwarts turned into a prison and that these decrees were only harming the current learning environment rather than improving it.

When Hogsmeade visits were banned, there was a riot. Headmaster Dumbledore himself stepped in then and overturned the decree. It was not within the High Inquisitor's power to revoke permission the parents gave for their students to attend Hogsmeade.

The week that Umbridge had put aside to evaluate the other professors had been noted by someone and notices had been placed on the door to the classrooms to 'help'. DADA had the notice 'bring a bookmark' on their door with the Potions door having an 'Explosions imminent' warning. All of the subjects had similar ones, although some got off easier than others.

The students were amused. Some of the teachers less so.

September faded into October. October faded into November.

* * *

It was in November that one incident would never make it into legend even though it should have, but would have extreme repercussions.

Harry normally had a sixth sense when it came to certain days. He didn't get it this Halloween and was amazed it passed without incident. That was a first.

A week later was very different and the activities that started it would only be noticed by a few people. Harry only heard about it from Neville and he had only seen it from outside. No one really thought much of it.

It wasn't until it was too late that Harry realised he should have thought on it more.

Breakfast that day was normal.

It was when certain people had taken a few steps outside the Great Hall that it went very abnormal. It was like a switch had been thrown.

Almost as one, a select number of boys and girls across all ages (though none below Third Year), turned and dashed towards the Slytherin table. Four that were seated did the same. Worryingly, Fred and George were among them, though they were two of three boys affected. A few moments later and it was clear they were not heading to the table, but one student in particular.

Themis Wallis, a Sixth Year student.

He realised it quickly too. He bolted from the Hall, his followers trying their very best to keep up.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "What was that about?"

Harry had seen that behaviour before. Fortunately not directly, but often enough that he recognised the signs. "Love potion, I think. Can't be sure, but I think that's what it was."

"Funny about that," Blake commented, still picking at her food. "I've seen everyone there use a love potion on someone else or plan to."

Now Harry thought about it, so had he, save one. To be fair, Fred and George had been talked out of selling those potions. He could think of a few more though, but that had been over two years ago. So why weren't they affected?

"But still," Neville gulped nervously. "How were they hit? And just them? It can't be in the food."

"We might not know until we try to leave too," Hermione pointed out. Others had realised this as well and so were in no hurry to exit. After all, that might trigger another group.

"How long do love potions last?" Ron asked.

"Depends," Harry replied. He hadn't studied much on love potions. "Their victims had been dragged to Madam Pomfrey by their friends for an antidote."

"One case I've read about lasted for days," Hermione added. "So unless they get help, they may be like that for a while."

The silent stalemate was broken when Ruby, Yang and Emerald finished their breakfast and headed out of the Hall. Everyone watched them, but their attitude didn't change and they walked off in the opposite direction that Themis had. No one in the Great Hall moved.

A collective breath escaped the students still seated.

"That answers that," Neville sighed out. "Thank goodness."

"But what the hell happened?" Ron repeated. "And how the hell did they do it? No one has ever pranked the twins before. Not since Bill about seven years ago."

There was some irony that everyone who had given another a love potion was hit by one themselves. It would have been funny if it was just one, but having…twelve love struck students after you made everyone wince in sympathy.

 _To be fair to Fred and George, they didn't actually get around to brewing it before changing-_

That thought was interrupted by a very different one. His suspicious gaze went to Ren and Nora.

"Did you do this?"

They shook their head in unison. They, along with Blake and Zephyr, seemed just as confused as Harry.

 _But if they didn't do it, who did?_

/

Classes were cancelled for the day and a new fact came to light. This made the situation far more serious.

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick and Snape were holed up in the Headmaster's Office. With the exception of Snape, they had been hit with the love potion too. While it wasn't strong enough to overcome their more disciplined will, it had certainly shaken them up.

Themis had blockaded himself in his dorm room. The Common Room wouldn't cut it as quite a few Slytherins had been affected.

A combination of Harry, Ron, Neville and Colin managed to drag George into the Hospital Wing. They didn't have to worry about Fred as he would follow his twin anywhere, love potion be damned. A group of Hufflepuffs got one of their love struck teens there as well.

With no one willing to head to lunch, Professor Goodwitch ordered them to return to their Common Rooms and wait for news. Umbridge tried to get the students to continue as normal, but everyone obeyed Professor Goodwitch.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny returned to the Hospital Wing. Harry frowned when he saw the three patients asleep or, more likely, Stunned.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny approached her. "Are my brothers going to be okay?"

"They will be Miss Weasley. It is simpler to keep them asleep until it wears off."

"But the antidote-" Ron was cut off.

"This has been modified slightly. Professor Snape has looked at it and the common things involved in a love potion antidote are neutralised with those changes. He is experimenting for a cure, but he expects it will be quicker to let it wear off. It has been set to last for 24 hours."

"This wasn't a prank." Harry was sure of that. He didn't know what it was, but whoever did it wasn't after a laugh.

"Love potions are never a prank Mr Potter, no matter what other people think." Madam Pomfrey's rebuke was gentle, but firm. "However, if you have any suspicions at all, I suggest you tell a member of staff."

"Understood ma'am."

They stayed for half an hour in silence, before heading back towards their Common Room.

"As much as I hate being the Twin's test subject, I am going to _hurt_ whoever did this." Ron was furious. "They haven't used a love potion on anyone. What's the big problem about it anyway?"

"The problem is that you don't see the problem," Harry replied. To be fair, he hadn't either until it was spelled out. It had also seemed to click a little for Ron. "And they had been planning to until Ren and Nora set them straight."

"Is that why you thought they might be responsible?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah and because they've only been here two years so they would only be sure about the ones they saw themselves. But then, why now?"

Neville stopped. "Oh."

"Oh?" Hermione repeated. "What 'oh'?"

"Yesterday, Themis was bragging to Daphne that he was going to Hogsmeade today with Emerald. As a date."

 _Oh._

"The Beacon student Emerald?"

"Know another one?" Ron asked. He turned to Harry. "When did she and Mercury break up?"

"She didn't." From their interaction earlier, she hadn't broken up with Ruby either, though he wasn't sure how the Hogwarts students responded to homosexuality. Probably the reason they (mostly) kept it secret. Sharing a boyfriend helped with that.

"So why did Themis say that?"

"I saw them in a window yesterday," Neville commented. "They were quite close. Physically close. I mean, this is Emerald and-"

"I know," Ginny cut in. "Keep most at a distance. But seriously?"

"Seriously."

They walked past the staff room. Harry led them past the floor of the Headmaster's Office.

"We aren't going to the professors?" Ron demanded.

"Because that went so well last time," Harry responded. Ron kicked the ground angrily, but didn't comment. "Besides, since when do they take love potions seriously? I want to talk to Emerald first. I could be wrong." He didn't think he was, but he had been before.

"Emerald wasn't affected by a love potion," Hermione noted. "We would have noticed. Or at least, the others would have."

"Their mail is the same as mine. It goes to their house first and the goblins put a ward on that room so that any package with magic glows red. They would almost certainly test exactly what is in it before sending it on."

If there was a love potion in there, Mercury and Qrow would almost certainly know it. Combine with their stance on love potions being 'brainwashing date-rape drugs', if Emerald had had one sent to her, it would explain a lot.

Harry had a funny feeling that, if Hogwarts actually enforced the 'no love potions' rule it already had, they wouldn't be in this mess. What the magicals saw as a prank, they saw as rape.

If it was a prank, they wouldn't have gone after the teachers. That was crossing the line.

No one was in their Common Room. A glance out of the window showed that ZBRN were relaxing outside in the sunshine. Professor Goodwitch was probably checking in on the other students along with the unaffected teachers.

The Room of Requirement was empty as well.

 _Normally, these guys aren't difficult to find._

Harry grabbed the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Yang and Ruby were…not on the Map. They had just left the Room, so they must have gone to Hogsmeade.

 _Brilliant._

"Of course they would be gone," Ron muttered darkly.

"Not much we can do about it," Harry replied. With a grumble, they began to head back to the Gryffindor Common Room. There was nothing they could really do and it would wear off on its own by this time tomorrow.

/

The love potion that had been used was an 'improved' version. While it wasn't quite enough for the one dosed to offer the option of running away with their 'lover', it had extreme focus on affection. Themis had physically smothered by all of them and they had literally been clawing at the Slytherin Common Room portrait until one Slytherin eventually remembered the password.

Snape had enough and Stunned every single one of them before taking them to Madam Pomfrey. While there was nothing she could do to reverse the affliction, she was very good at keeping them out of trouble. Snape at least could confirm that this version was so delicate to make, they must have had insanely incredible luck to manage it and that even he wouldn't risk it. They didn't have to worry about copycats.

The ones the four professors had drank had a shorter timer of 12 hours. As such, once it wore off, they left their own isolation to placate the students. Quite a few were shaken up.

The next day, it happened that, not only did those affected remember exactly what they had been doing, they had known at the time and had been helpless to stop it. Those that had been in 'Professor Moody's' class last year equated it to the Imperius Curse, only without the calm and happiness.

The experience would haunt their nightmares for years to come.

The next time a love potion was used in Hogwarts was five years later. That individual was expelled on the spot.

/

Mercury sat in the study, waiting rather patiently as Ozpin stared back at him. His eyes were hard and his body language was torn between anger and disappointment.

Mercury didn't particularly care.

"Do you have any idea what the consequences of your stunt could have been?"

"Well, in a sensible society, possible child molestation and manslaughter between teens that are very trigger-happy. In theory: Azkaban for them, especially if it was a professor. In reality," Mercury took a moment to think about what he actually thought would happen. "They would either start really banning love potions or they would sweep it under the rug like they always do."

"Just because nothing _did_ happen does not mean it _couldn't._ You know that."

"I do know that." Mercury folded his arms. "I did do the research. Kisses, hugs, flirting…That's all they did. The actual self may not have known it, but there was no danger of them having sex unless Themis literally tied down every single one of them. The potion wouldn't allow it, not that they knew that."

 _Maybe that'll teach them not to do it again. Just because someone isn't a Death Eater doesn't mean they teach their kids to be respected members of society. This is what happens when you teach a kid they can do whatever they want and that they can do anything they want to get something they want._

"The fear of it is all that matters here." Ozpin wasn't shifting. "They are all traumatized by this Mercury."

Mercury shrugged in response. "They did that to somebody else, but their potions would have allowed it to go further. In one case, it did."

Ozpin entwined his fingers. News to him, apparently. Not surprising. "That was the third male, wasn't it?"

"The one he hit was a muggleborn. All he wanted was a good night and he did it to 'get her in the mood', I believe were his words. He bragged about it. Still does." Not unlike Mrs Weasley with her husband by the way her kids tell it but he wasn't going to bring that up now. "That 'one night stand'," air quotes there as 'one night rape' would be a lot more appropriate, "resulted in a pregnancy. She moved to Beauxbatons immediately afterwards. After all, she had seen how love potions were treated in Hogwarts. Why would she think a male using it on a female was any different?"

"…What was his punishment?"

"What punishment?"

"She must have told her Head of House at least in order to get the transfer papers signed."

"Professor Sprout. Her response was that there was nothing she could do as, while love potions are officially banned, he would get off with nothing but a warning and that was if she was very lucky, mostly due to the fact she was of age and he was not. Rather than make a spectacle that would ruin her more than him, she left."

Ozpin closed his eyes. Mercury guessed that the reason it wasn't Qrow disciplining him was because they were unsure of his involvement. He wasn't involved at all, but he figured it out as soon as he heard about it.

 _He would probably agree._

Ozpin managed to get a hold of himself. Yeah, what Mercury did was wrong. He had also put in a lot of safeguards that the idiotic and sociopathic kids hadn't done. They probably hadn't even thought of it and those that did wouldn't care.

If traumatising these kids was the only way they would learn a lesson, then Mercury was fine with that. It did seem to be Hogwarts MO actually.

 _Marcus would love that school._

"Whose idea was this?"

Mercury didn't say anything. All three of them had conspired, but this had been Ruby's idea and he had no interest in telling Ozpin that. He had helped Ruby brew it and had been the one to convince Emerald about the safeguards. She had been the one that had had to act in order to be sure they were hitting the right person and to be sure Themis wasn't a victim too.

"You're not going to tell me."

"No."

 _Could_ things have been worse? Possibly. Magic could be unpredictable and their stupidity was almost impossible to plan with. The only person who seemed to have figured it out was Harry and he had lived in this house for a few months.

"Very well then. No games. No day outs. No experimenting. Are we clear on that?"

"Crystal." Irritating, but expected.

"Now then, if I don't like your answers for this, then it will be worse. Understood?"

Mercury nodded at the prompt. Their idea of punishment was very mild compared to what he'd grown up with, but he couldn't deny they were more efficient. He _hated_ being bored. Though why he wasn't bored when stalking a target or meditating was something he wasn't sure of. He filed that away for 'things to ponder at a later date'.

"Why the teachers?"

"Because it is their responsibility to enforce the rules. It got this way because they allowed it to. They always let it slide with a slap on the wrist at worst."

"Dumbledore?"

"Riddle was conceived under a love potion." That had been _very_ difficult to find out. "The consequences were what you would expect; when she stopped giving it to her victim, he took to the hills and left her broken-hearted. She died in the orphanage Riddle grew up in because of it." Somehow. "Dumbledore _should_ know better. He's an alchemist. He knows what a love potion does and how similar it is to Imperius." In his opinion, it was worse.

"Snape? There were a few Slytherins in his care."

"I'm satisfied he didn't know. They're too terrified to tell him. His lesson on love potions always started with their illegality and he destroyed the samples. Besides, he could have used a love potion on Lily Evans and he chose not to. He might hate everything about James and Harry Potter, but he never took away Lily's free will."

That is what convinced Mercury it wasn't _complete_ obsession. He didn't think it was love, but it was close enough.

"Do I have to send you back to History of Magic Mercury?"

Mercury managed to avoid wincing at that. Qrow had apologised at the time and had allowed him to sleep in instead if he had had a long night and that subject was first thing. He was well aware that sticking someone who was too paranoid to sleep with untrusted strangers in the room and no back-up, along with someone who was _designed_ to put someone to sleep, was a little more cruel than he would have liked. Qrow wasn't wrong when he said cleaning cauldrons wasn't going to teach Mercury anything though.

"I would much rather you didn't."

"Why should I believe that you wouldn't do this in Beacon, if you could?"

To be fair, Ozpin didn't really know exactly what Mercury was learning to do with runes, so to him it was possible. "Because they know if they have to enslave someone to get them into bed, then it's rape and that's wrong, even if they don't actually say the word 'no'." The kids in Beacon could be cruel, but they weren't _that_ bad.

As Ruby would say: 'there were rules and there were Rules'.

"What if Themis Wallis had succeeded at dosing Emerald and the potion worked?"

"He would be dead and his body scattered across the school."

Ozpin rubbed his temples. Apparently that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Try again."

"Murder at all?"

"No."

"Dismemberment?" If Moody had a peg leg (who had been jealous of Mercury's prosthetics, especially when he saw exactly how Mercury liked to fight), then that was the best they could do and there would be a permenant reminder to everyone.

"No."

"Draught of Living Death?"

"You're going backwards Mercury. One more chance."

Mercury sighed. If he wasn't supposed to _kill_ someone that brainwashed and raped someone he cared about, what was he supposed to do? Throw in the exact some problem they had had since the beginning and he was genuinely stuck.

A grin grew on his face. "Tell Qrow and stand back."

"So he can kill them for you?"

"Well, if he offers…" _And he most certainly would…_

Ozpin shook his head, but the way he did when Qrow was vexing him, not when he was angry.

"The answer I wanted was 'I don't know'."

Mercury groaned. "I could have told you that."

"Did it also include not putting yourself in prison? I'm not including 'not getting caught' in that, even if that is your specialty."

True, RMEY did tend to get away with the things Mercury himself planned. Ruby and Yang didn't do subtle very well. If at all.

"So don't get angry about it?" That was not happening.

"Getting angry about it is normal and expected. In this case, there was nothing to be legally done and it wasn't completely over the top. Most importantly, you had safeguards for them as well as you. Were you the mastermind behind it?"

"No comment."

"That makes me think you weren't. For now, that's enough. Off you go."

Sounded like all three of them were going to be grounded. Probably Yang too; she had known of what they were planning. Still, if Mercury did find himself in prison, it was almost certainly going to be for defending his family.

 _Tai would ground us too, then complain about not being involved. Come to think of it, would he go the murder route as well? I would not want to get between him and his daughters._

With a shrug, he headed to his room to meditate. Ozpin hadn't been able to include 'training' on his banned list after all.

* * *

It was the first week of December when the next move in the war was made.

Amos Diggory was demoted and many Ministry employees were 'let go' with scandalous stories appearing in the Daily Prophet. While Madam Bones still had her job, there was much pressure on her Aurors and three quit. Madam Bones herself was now getting subtly smeared in the newspaper with Madam Umbridge being shown as an excellent influence.

/

6th December

'DAILY PROPHET: FOR THE PEOPLE OR FOR THE MINISTER?

Written by Apollo Cassandra

Newspapers are called such because they are supposed to inform the public of the news. However, recently, the Daily Prophet has been partaking in gossip that makes the Witch Weekly magazine seem factual.

For starters, all of the Ministry interference has only hindered Hogwarts. Despite what the Daily Prophet has printed, I can assure you as a student that Madam Umbridge and her 'decrees' have not been welcomed by the staff or the students. If you want to know the truth about that, I would recommend you write to your kids. Most of them would say the same. We even needed her permission to go to class. That is how ridiculous this whole 'Hogwarts Inquisitor' deal is. At least, with her in the position.

From inside Hogwarts, the opinion on the Ministry, especially the Minister, is very low.

Many of us remember the night of the Third Task. When Mr Potter and Mr Diggory disappeared after touching the Tri-Wizard Cup, it was Madam Bones who took charge. All the judges, along with Minister Fudge, were insistent nothing was wrong. The imposter in the shape of Alastor Moody fired a Killing Curse and the Minister still thought nothing was wrong.

Mr Potter was interrogated under Veritaserum. He dismissed those named as 'cleared due to the Imperius Curse'. I will say this: for people who were under the Imperius Curse, they have displayed no remorse for crimes they were 'forced' to commit.

Lucius Malfoy was named as a Death Eater that night. Not only has Minister Fudge completely dismissed this, he has been meeting with the man quite often in his office since. Mr Malfoy is quoted as an 'upstanding citizen', despite getting kicked off the Hogwarts Board of Governors. One would think he wouldn't meet with him until the investigation into the events during the Third Task has been concluded.

However, it has now been six months and the investigation still hasn't been completed. Now there has been three Aurors removed from the already low numbers of the DMLE. If this continues, we won't have an Auror force to even investigate petty crimes.

Mr Diggory has been demoted. All he wants is to know the truth behind his son's death.

Madam Bones is trying to determine if there is a threat to the Wizarding World. Her investigation is being stalled and now derogatory comments are appearing in a 'newspaper'.

We are not allowed to use magic except in a classroom. We are only reading in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

All these decrees that the Ministry High Inquisitor is pushing through…What is the Minister so afraid of? If there is no danger, then why is all this necessary?

Or is our Minister Lucius Malfoy and not Cornelius Fudge?

When I write, I have evidence to support my words. I refuse to pass off rumours or lies as the truth. Can the Daily Prophet say the same? Is the freedom of the press an assurance of the truth or an excuse to spread whatever disgusting thoughts the Minister wishes?

How safe are we with Cornelius Fudge as our Minister for Magic?'


	15. Draw

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

The Minister could only be forcibly removed from his position in one of two ways: with a 90% approval from the Wizengamot or being charged with treason. Those facts alone were what was saving him.

There were some who thought he would be a good Minister for a time of war. There were those that didn't subscribe to the Quibbler. There were those that did and still didn't want to believe it. There were those that did read the magazine and didn't deny the allegations. Without proof, allegations was what they were. But when someone such as the Minister was deliberately blocking the investigation that led to that proof, it became a definite that it existed.

Even with the public baying for blood, they had to wait until the end of his term before they could get rid of him. Only the Wizengamot or a treason charge could get rid of him sooner.

Cornelius Fudge hoped everything would blow over.

Everyone else knew otherwise.

* * *

Harry was awake near midnight. He was sitting on his bed, very still.

His consciousness was wandering his mindscape. It had been a chore to build, but now it was quite fun to add to. He almost wished someone would try Legilimency so he could throw them out.

The constant exploration of the real castle had resulted in much of it being accurate down to the paintings. After thinking on it for a few minutes, Harry chose to switch them around. Getting lost in Hogwarts was quite easy to do for a lot of people if they didn't have familiar signposts.

There was a very slight sting in his scar that vanished as briefly as it came.

Harry frowned. He wouldn't have even noticed it if he was fully conscious, but he wasn't. The part he had managed to find that had been giving him the dreams of the corridor he stuck in the greenhouses. He had never been in them while it was dark out, so he wouldn't come across it by accident when he was sleeping. The result: no dreams.

Curious, Harry headed onto the 'grounds'.

The greenhouse glass had images in the walls. That had never happened before. Normally, the 'glass' was an opaque black. Harry had removed the door so whatever this was couldn't leave and he wouldn't be tempted to enter.

He could make out shapes though. They were blurred but they were there in the 'glass'. It took a few minutes to recognise the corridor leading to the Department of Mysteries. It was that blurred.

Something was different though.

There was a shape in the reflection in the wall of the corridor. Harry couldn't make it out. The viewpoint was also different. It was much lower to the ground. No human would be that short. This was almost from ground level. Harry watched the pattern in the wall's reflection. Back and forth.

The door opened. The prophecies could be seen. Harry scoffed.

The shape continued. Its viewpoint then rose so the row number was visible. 97. That was very inhuman. It went back to ground level and moved along a bit. It rose up once more. Harry couldn't make out the words on the orb, but he didn't need to. He knew which one it was.

 _So Riddle's gone after the prophecy._

Interestingly, the view was zooming in. Then it went slightly higher as the zoom continued. Then, when only the shelf below could be seen, it stopped.

Then there was hissing and shrieking. It was a sound that was similar but not identical to-

 _Basilisk. This is a snake. Nagini._

It thrashed in agony. After three screeching minutes, it backed off and lowered itself to the ground again. Without the prophecy.

Harry pulled out of his landscape.

 _"Accio mirror."_ The mirror slapped into his palm. He didn't bother trying to think on how it got out of his closed trunk. "Sirius Black." It only took a few seconds for Sirius to answer. Just as well he always Silenced his curtains.

"Hi Harry. Is something wrong?"

"My scar pricked Sirius and that's all it was. I had a look and I'm fairly sure the images were of Riddle's snake trying to remove the prophecy. It failed. The protections worked."

"That's good news. You didn't feel anything when watching that? And definitely only a prickle?"

"No and definitely a prickle. It was more like a notice that was something was happening and that's all. Nothing inside the greenhouse got out. It's still contained."

Harry had figured out he had some sort of connection to Riddle when he started seeing the graveyard the previous year. Now he had completely isolated it, but he couldn't get rid of it. Even Sirius had had no answers for that, but he had insisted not to spend any time around it.

"Good. Leave it alone Harry. If it happens again, don't take a look."

 _Speak of the devil._

"Okay. But Sirius…It was as if I was the snake. That's never happened before."

"Don't let it happen again Harry. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it's not good. Next time your scar prickles, ignore it."

"I heard you the first time Sirius."

"Right. Anything else bothering you?"

"Nothing…It's just…Riddle's angry Sirius. I don't know how I know, but he is very angry and that was before the snake couldn't grab it."

"I'll let Madam Bones know. In the past, when he was angry he lashed out. Don't worry Harry. They're trained for nearly any situation. Believe me, I know."

That did calm him. "Okay Sirius. Good night."

"Good night Harry." Sirius' image vanished.

Harry let out a long breath. The Aurors that had been pressured into retiring had been quite young and were rather inexperienced when it came to war. They had joined after the last war. Those that remained were battle hardy veterans and they knew the danger was out there. They knew _what_ was out there.

Personally, Harry was more concerned about the danger in the Ministry than the danger from Riddle.

* * *

" _Ossis effergo!_ "

Neville's spell smashed into the dummy's arm. The wand it was holding dropped as the arm bent at a very unnatural angle.

"Good job Neville."

Neville smiled grimly. After hearing Harry's explanation for the Bone-Breaking Curse, he had always pictured his enemy as Bellatrix Lestrange. His spells then rivalled Harry's in their power and he was very proud of that.

Harry was going to leave the Wizarding World. Neville didn't fault him for that.

However, he was not going to. Even with all the jeers about being a squib, Neville had never had it as bad as Harry and had a lot more pleasant memories of the Wizarding World. This was his world and he was going to fight for it. He would miss his friend, but wished him luck.

 _Who knows? Maybe I'll end up working for him._

Harry was the main one that had been responsible for his gillyweed manuscript.

Originally, Neville had wanted to be an Auror, although he was very sure he wouldn't get the Potions grade. He had arranged to meet with one of Harry's contacts to be tutored. Now though, he was considering a research option in Herbology.

 _First though, we need to deal with Riddle and his Death Eaters so they don't start a war with the muggles and avenge my parents._

It wasn't the weapons Beacon carried that made them such a threat. It was their intelligence and thought processes when approaching a problem. They thought the way a muggle did, though without the fear. If there was a war between muggles and wizards, Neville (as much as he hated to admit it) thought the wizards would lose.

That war would pit him against his friends. The most heartbreaking thing would be that it would be _understandable._ That he couldn't blame them for it.

" _Ossis effergo!"_

The next dummy's arm shattered.

"Okay Neville," Harry started. He had just returned after helping a girl called Astoria. "Try it a few times in a row."

Neville took a deep breath. He focused.

" _Ossis effergo! Ossis effergo! Ossis effergo!"_

All three spells were strong. The final one missed the arm and hit the shoulder. That would have done the same job, but missing his target could result in him hitting an ally. Also, he was getting tired.

Harry nodded. "Very good."

"I missed the third."

"It's tricky keeping the wand aiming at the same level when you move it. It took a lot of practice with Professor Flitwick. Give it time and practice. Managing three Bone Breakers in a row is incredible."

Neville nodded. "Does it tire you if you cast a few times in a row?"

"Not now. It did when I was younger. I'm guessing my…extra-curricular activities helped with that."

It was only last year that Neville could truly perform these spells. Endurance nearly always had to be built up naturally. Practicing every day would help with that. Harry had a lot more experience than he did. He wasn't surprised or jealous that he was so much ahead and that was before the Tri-Wizard Tournament was taken into account.

Neville looked around to see how the others were faring.

Hermione was doing well, but she obviously had less magical stamina than he did. She was taking a quick rest.

Ginny was faring much better. It made Neville wonder how often she cast spells, but growing up with Fred and George gave her quick reflexes.

Luna was also doing well. While her spells weren't as powerful as Ginny's, she was just as fast and was far more accurate.

It took Ron a while to get the hang of a spell and it took many attempts to get it right, but those spells didn't vary in power or speed. His accuracy was also very good, although being Keeper would help with that.

Rather than approach Harry, Harry had approached Astoria. He hadn't wanted to teach too many and had asked Beacon for a recommendation. They had said Astoria Greengrass. After talking with her a few times, Harry had agreed to teach her provided she didn't tell anyone. She had been in a lot of trouble with other Slytherins this year. Neville sympathised. It was bad enough being Malfoy's punching bag in passing. He couldn't imagine having to be in the same House.

Ron had complained initially. Harry stating he was originally going to be in Slytherin if it wasn't for meeting Malfoy shut him up quickly. He was now entirely focused on his spellwork.

Neville knew why Harry was wanted in Slytherin: his desire to be 'just Harry'. Very, very few allowed that.

Astoria was a fast learner. While she had a wide knowledge of their names, she had little knowledge of how to perform them. It did take her a few tries to get it, but she never got them wrong afterwards.

Her sister Daphne was near the top of the class in Charms and was quite high in the rankings in DADA in previous years. The lack of respect for Umbridge had resulted in very few people handing in homework to a good standard, so everyone's grades were lower.

The best one for Neville had been when she had set an essay on the inferiority of the Beacon students. Everyone mentioned Mercury killing a dragon in one hit somewhere. One jerk that had been very aggressive towards Ruby had ended up in the Hospital Wing terrified and shrieking about monsters. He had had to be Obliviated of the last six hours. None of them had claimed responsibility for that, but the Hogwarts students were sure. The conclusion was 'do not provoke them under any circumstances'. Unable to put the majority of the school in detention, she was left expressing her disappointment during class.

Only a very select few Slytherins had any respect for her anymore.

"What about the Blasting Hex?"

The dummies vanished with stone walls taking their place.

"This spell can be used for things other than duelling, so let's focus on that. _Confringo._ " The spell hit and smashed the stone into crumbles. "Con-frin-go. You have to want to break something here. I imagine it's a very annoying cupboard door."

Neville thought about it. He had time to consider now. That was part of the reason he practiced spells before using them under stress.

 _Nothing springs to mind. Hmm…Okay, that is the physical image of everything that stands in the way to my future._

" _Confringo!_ "

The wall exploded on the spell's impact.

"Fantastic Neville!"

Neville was currently working on a project with mandrakes. He was originally thinking about their second year, but Harry also told him their leaves were involved in Animagus training. Neville didn't understand that, so he was investigating it.

He would fight in the war to honour his parents. However, that was no longer his only drive.

Once upon a time, it was thought there was no help for werewolves. A potion may not fully cure them, but it helped them greatly.

With Harry's company, maybe Neville would live to see the day he would meet his parents in their right mind.

* * *

Mercury let out an annoyed breath.

This was the last Hogsmeade visit before the Suicide School released the students for the holidays in less than a fortnight. Rather than meeting his Gems, he was meeting with Cinder. He was very angry at her for that. He ignored the logic that she probably didn't know he hadn't returned to the nuthouse, which was even crazier this year apparently. That would be quite the achievement.

 _Maybe I should drop in one of these days._

Qrow separated from him a few buildings away from the pub. Talaria went with him.

Ruby and Emerald were staying at the school today. They had told him that all of the Beacon students were, though he didn't know why. That meant that he didn't have to worry about his Gems today.

 _I get that she wants a crowd, but did she have to pick the day that the stupid little kids were going to be around?_

At least Cinder had picked the Hog's Head. They wouldn't have gotten anywhere if she picked the Three Broomsticks, even if they were in one of the meeting rooms. Somehow, he didn't think it was a coincidence that that insane rule was made after Harry met with his new friends.

That did leave the chance of eavesdropping, but Cinder had claimed there were meeting rooms in the Hog's Head as well which was guarded against eavesdroppers after an incident 16 years ago. Mercury hadn't known that, but Qrow had. He gave him directions to the right room with the warning not to open the door opposite.

Mercury had decided not to ask.

There were quite a few students that hesitated when they saw him, but continued their chats when it was obvious he wasn't interested in them at all. No suicidal Slytherin students though. He idly wondered if that was due to their classmate ending up in the Hospital Wing with a mental breakdown (Emerald said she only showed him a pack of Beowolves which was quite tame when it came to Grimm) or Ruby, Yang and Nora bungie jumping off the Astronomy Tower. Ruby said the five day detention she got for it was worth it.

At Beacon, that wouldn't have earned a detention. However, they were sharing a space with some very impressionable kids, so they didn't want to encourage any bad or dangerous behaviour. Apparently, even Goodwitch seemed to find the 'encouraging dangerous behaviour' part amusing.

They had spent most of last year studying and trying not to rock the boat. While nowhere near their normal standard, it seemed things were somewhat back to normal. He was slightly surprised bungie jumping was all they did, though Fred and George hadn't finished their fireworks yet.

A chuckle escaped as he thought about the fake wands.

The Hog's Head looked empty. Odd and interesting.

Mercury walked up to the bartender.

"What's your poison boy?" the bartender asked. For some reason, Mercury could sense resemblance, though he couldn't place to who.

"I'm not here for a drink. Has a woman in a red dress arrived yet?" It was lunchtime and he was a little early.

"Aye. She went upstairs. Don't know where. Old flame?"

Mercury frowned a little as that sentence registered. Then he laughed. "No. Definitely not." That was not to think too much on.

The bartender shrugged and turned away to grab another glass. Still chuckling, Mercury left him to it and headed upstairs. Counting the doors on the right, he stopped at the third one and pushed away his curiosity to check the door opposite.

He didn't bother to knock.

There were three chairs in the room. Cinder had picked the one near the window. It wasn't like there was anything else in here.

"I would have thought your time at Beacon taught you manners."

"They did. I learned it was bad manners to kill someone without introducing myself. I thought that stupid so I ignored it. Along with nearly everything else."

"Nearly?"

"They may have had a point about arguing with the designated driver, especially if you're on their airship."

Cinder laughed.

Mercury didn't bother moving one of the chairs closer. He was perfectly happy to stay in the corner. At least Cinder appeared to be in a good mood. He did not want to be around her when she was angry.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Not much today."

"So why bother?" He would have thought these gaps were to make sure they had something to talk about. Had Cinder ruined his day for little reason? "We both have other things to do."

"Don't we always?" Mercury didn't comment on that. "This country is sitting on a time bomb Mercury."

"That wasn't the goal by the one who wrote it. Still, forcing a war before he's fully ready might keep it in this society. The last thing we need is the non-magical army getting involved."

"The giants are convinced by bloodlust. Many werewolves are in agreement and Lupin's efforts are having the opposite results."

Neither group's stance was a surprise, but the rest was. "How is Lupin working backwards? I'm told he is an intelligent man."

"That is part of the problem. His argument of werewolves attending Hogwarts is undone at the fact he is the _only_ one. The incident took place when he was a Sixth Year and yet there were no others."

That caught his interest. He could probably just ask Harry or Sirius but… "Incident?"

"Severus Snape came across him after following him into the Shrieking Shack. Sirius Black told him how to get into the tunnel. It was a near miss and only by James Potter's efforts."

"What an idiot." Regardless of Mercury's opinion of the man, he was not stupid. If Hermione could figure it out in a few months, Snape could have in a few years. Sirius might have told him how to get into the tunnel, but Mercury had no doubt Snape already knew what he would find. Sirius admitted to bullying him, including to Harry, but Snape was just as obsessed with the Marauders.

 _Maybe he thought the werewolf would be as meek as Lupin in human form. Idiot. James Potter saving him must have really aggravated him._

Cinder smiled. "Don't disregard him Mercury. He is able to play both sides."

"And therefore is unreliable. I bet he's just hedging his bets." If Mercury was in Snape's position back at the end of the war, that is what he would have done. It was preferable if Dumbledore won, but if Riddle did, Snape wouldn't have 'lost'.

"That is what many Death Eaters think. Some are not happy he got off so freely when he met with their Dark Lord."

Mercury chuckled. "Snape was in a better position than them."

"Debateable." That was interesting and she obviously knew more, but Cinder moved on. "Has Dumbledore ever told you why he trusts Snape so much?"

"Nope." Mercury popped the 'p' with a smile. "Certainly infuriated Ozpin. Everything from his behaviour to his teaching says he works for Riddle. Dumbledore just says he 'trusts the man with his life'."

"Trusts him to do what exactly?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. He just smiles and changes the subject."

Cinder smiled slightly. "Ozpin is annoyed? Rather hypocritical." Mercury didn't respond to that. It wasn't exactly _wrong_ , but both knew there were different circumstances. "Their Minister is not going to survive another term. Was the one who wrote that fully aware of what would happen?"

"They were hoping to get Fudge out of office or at least get the public aware there was a danger. None of us really know how Riddle will react. He wasn't known for being sane. The quiet of the past two days is a bit worrying."

"His armies are still quite small at the moment. Nowhere near what he wants. Today he had someone go into the prophecy room and fail. He is now in the hospital, mentally unstable."

Mercury nodded. That was good news. He had heard the snake had failed, but maybe he thought that only a human could pick it up. That might actually be true. Mercury had no idea about how the specifics worked.

"Riddle himself vanished in the early hours of yesterday morning and came back in a rage. Quite a few of his followers felt his anger that hour."

"So something's coming." Once again, he wondered exactly who was Cinder's informant and why.

"Something big. I'm sure we'll see it any day now. What about the dementors?"

Mercury shrugged. "If Riddle offers, they'll switch. The Ministry can repel them. Riddle offers them a never ending feast."

Cinder seemed confused at that. "They genuinely have no way to control them?"

"No. Not even all their forces know the charm to repel them. They just expect them to behave."

Cinder closed her eyes for a few seconds. Mercury could guess that she was probably thinking some very amusing things. That had certainly been their reaction.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and switched the topic. "There has also been worries about giant spiders in the nearby forest. Are there giant spiders in the forest?"

"Oh yeah. Hagrid's friends. He's not going to be happy to hear that." It also wasn't easy to get Hagrid to understand the dangers of his 'misunderstood animals'.

"Is this Hagrid reliable?"

"Depends on what his job is. Keeping his mouth shut is not one of them. Being half giant makes him good in a fight. He was the one sent to talk to the giants and you said that was a bust."

She waved a hand. "That was doomed to fail from the start. It speaks nothing of him. It would be wise for him to have a word with those spiders in the forest. They are classed as XXXXX animals and are in a very strategic position."

"They're class XXXXX animals? Ministry ripped me off." Him and Harry. Those acromantula carcasses had been incinerated when the maze came down. It would have been wise to put the class of the animal on that map Bones gave him to check. "I'll have someone talk to him." Probably Blake. "For someone who stands for blood purity, he's using a lot of 'sub-humans'."

Cinder shook her head with a soft smile. "He must. The pureblood numbers are low. Those who are willing to follow him are even lower. Fear is his main weapon."

"Fear can be countered," Mercury replied. "It's a much better weapon on Remnant. At least that is backed with Grimm."

"It is a weapon that has had the entire country afraid to say an anagram for a decade and a half. You could focus on that in the magazine. Exposing him may switch some of his followers or make the neutrals more active."

Mercury leaned back as he thought about it. "The problem is that we need to be able to provide evidence. That's the main difference between us and their newspaper. He has destroyed much of it and the rest is a very big leap even for us."

Even Cinder couldn't argue with that. "That would make a biography difficult."

"Biography." If they didn't have the evidence to link Tom Riddle Jnr to Lord Voldemort, they didn't have enough to write a biography.

"Why would they associate with the Quibbler if the name was different? They do not have fiction books here Mercury. They take everything as fact, despite the conflicting accounts. The Boy-Who-Lived for example. I thought that was fiction when I first read it. However, no one slanders a teenager for no reason, with no one standing up for him." She smiled at him. "Your interviews were amusing."

"I read them," he replied with an equal smile. He had gotten a laugh out of it. His Gems, not so much. Just as well Skeeter was banned from the grounds and was smart enough to stay out of sight. Ruby had been very angry.

"Did you ever speak to her?"

"Nope. Didn't even attend the 'ceremony' for the first one. I had much better things to do." Like having lunch before looking up dragons. Come to think of it… "Do you know what did happen to Skeeter?"

"No. I've heard many rumours, but nothing definite. Personally, I think she's dead. It does not fit for her to be so quiet."

"What a shame."

"Indeed." Cinder looked as amused as he was. "Still, it is a benefit even if it was unexpected. She would have been the main sticking point about the Quibbler. Speaking of which, why the Quibbler?"

Mercury shrugged. "It was convenient." Luna certainly wasn't complaining.

"Convenience. That would be one way to handle some of the terrorists. Their security is not brilliant. I would even call it lax."

What Cinder was suggesting was something Mercury had thought on often. The only reason he hadn't was because he did not want the consequences that would come when they returned to Remnant. Still, if there ever was a justifiable homicide, these people were the necessary victims.

"Throw in their arrogance and I agree." According to Qrow, they never checked whether they were being followed or if there was anyone in the area before discussing very incriminating things. It probably didn't even cross their minds.

 _If the Wizarding World accepted muggle evidence, a video camera would be enough to get these idiots in Azkaban. I wonder if this world has a 'Polyjuice Defence'. Must make eye-witness accounts difficult to trust._

"Their government is in turmoil. Who becomes their next Minister is going to determine a lot of things." The term for the Minister also ended in the summer.

"That is to be expected. After their selection then." Cinder stood up.

Mercury did want something else out of this meeting. "Out of curiosity Cinder…Can all the Maidens heal?"

Cinder did and didn't seem surprised at the question. "They never told you?"

"I try not to bring up the Maidens around the people that could kill me for it. Especially around the woman herself."

Cinder hummed in agreement. "No. Only the Spring Maiden can. It takes practice and often knowledge, but only the Spring Maiden." She then smiled at him. "You would be quite good."

This was new. Mercury frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What was it you once told me? 'I know as much about the human body as some physicians'?"

Mercury chuckled, partly in amusement and partly in surprise. He had said that. While certainly not on a cellular level, his understanding of the human body was university level. Mercury knew exactly where to hit a man to kill him instantly; what poison to use that the police would not detect; how to cause extreme pain with no marks. Marcus had been a very efficient, if unethical, teacher.

While he certainly was _not_ going to teach Emerald Marcus' way, he could still teach her Ruby's way. She didn't view her healing potential with the same distain as the rest of her power.

"Are there any other differences between the Maidens?" While he was curious, that question was mostly to cover the healing topic. He did not want her asking why he wanted to know.

"Now that would be telling."

"Of course it would."

Still smiling, Cinder left.

Mercury eventually leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath. When he asked about the Maidens, Cinder did think it was personal curiosity. Mercury was sure of that. Therefore, she would not think he was asking because he knew the 'other' Spring Maiden. Emerald was safe.

 _I haven't killed her._

Throughout the entire conversation, that was the only point he was unsure. Threatened. Just as he knew she would (hoped she would), Cinder came to the conclusion he was worried because of the Fall Maiden.

 _I haven't killed her._

"Went that badly, Silvertongue?"

Mercury almost jumped. He mentally cursed himself. He hadn't heard Qrow come in. "Actually, it went well."

Qrow put a butterbeer in front of him and moved one of the other chairs in the room next to him. "So what's bothering you?"

Talaria growled softly and nudged his head slightly. Petting her, Mercury caught the door in the corner of his eye. "She's gone?"

"Definitely."

"I asked if the other Maidens could heal. She also said the Spring Maiden is better when she understands the human body biologically."

"Ah. Emerald knows the 'what' not the 'why'."

"I can teach her that. Well, some of it."

"…How he taught you?"

"I never forgot a lesson, but I am _not_ teaching her that way." Never.

"Good." There was sympathy in his tone but not pity. "So what's on your next shopping list?"

"Pretty pictures." Mercury swallowed half of the drink down in one go.

"How about a colouring book?"

"I don't know." He finally looked at Qrow with a small grin. "Can you keep in the lines?"

Qrow laughed. Mercury's tension drained. Talaria lay down.

"Who's the bartender here?" He felt familiar.

"Aberforth Dumbledore. Albus' brother."

"Ah." That was all he had to say about that. "The girls have a list of things in London they want to see. They wanted to go at some point during the Christmas holidays."

"The way Glynda tells it, you'll need more than one day. I'm told it takes more than one day to meander around one museum."

They had been at Patch for three months when Yang told Mercury that Qrow was sticking around a lot longer than he normally did and to get used to him being absent fairly often. She had sounded both happy and disappointed. At the time, both of them thought he just left because he took missions and the sisters disliked him for that. They loved him, but they hated that particular habit.

Now though, Mercury had a good guess why he really left. With how the sisters were, they would forgive him for avoiding them eventually. Probably quite quickly, actually.

Mercury had finally finished the runes aspect and he had all the materials he needed but one. Now he was just waiting on Ruby. He hadn't told her because it was finicky enough without adding that sort of pressure. Then he just needed to put everything together. The latest batch would be judged in a few days.

Qrow tended to refuse to spend too much time with them and definitely not an entire day out, though Mercury didn't think he knew that Mercury knew. He had never told him what his project was. It wasn't a surprise Qrow wasn't coming.

"Any suggestions on where to go first?"

"Depends what you fancy. Might want to reorganise everything if the weather turns nice. There wouldn't be much to see at the top of the London Eye save a sea of fog."

"Qrow. London is in Britain. Not known for being the sun's favourite country and that is in the summer. There's no chance in winter."

"I do remember the mud fight Nora suckered Yang and Zephyr into." Mercury smiled, though he was pleased he had managed to avoid getting involved. "Stick near a window and go over if it turns good. There's supposedly a good film and TV museum almost next door. It's not well advertised."

"I'll find a list of things on the computer. A map wouldn't hurt either."

Qrow nodded. "How about the London Underground?"

Mercury groaned. "Probably the best way."

"Still don't like crowds?"

"Hate them." Under no circumstances was he going down there during rush hour. "I'll try not to do something-"

Screaming.

Terrified screaming.

Frowning, Mercury stood up and walked over to the window. People were running past, screaming at the top of their lungs. They were panicked and all were heading in different directions. All of them were running away from one direction.

Mercury couldn't see the threat.

"What is it?" Qrow joined him by the window.

"I can't see. It's not a celebrity though."

 _What is going on? I know they're terrified of nearly everything but this is different. Reminds me of the time the Vipertooth got loose and that was a genuine threat to them._

By the time they arrived outside, everyone was running in all directions.

Then Mercury saw it. He knew what he was looking at, but if it wasn't for some of the things he had seen on both Remnant and Earth, he wouldn't have believed it. The Maiden story was more believable than this. It was just so…

Talaria backed a little, but arched her body and hissed. Unnatural.

"They have the gall to call us dangerous and their magic reanimates the dead."

The human he was looking at could not be alive. That body had spent at least a month underwater. With no other marks, it could be a drown victim.

There was more than one. Another had dragged someone to the ground and was trying to claw their face. Qrow instantly sliced it away. A third was staggering past the doorway. Mercury took its head off with a kick before snapping its spine to be sure. Two others were across the street.

 _Stragglers._

Mercury jumped on the top of the pub.

Chaos.

There were two main groups of zombies. One was currently six buildings to their east and closing in. The other was to the south and also moving into Hogsmeade. There were others scattered all around the village. Each of the two main groups were at least thirty strong.

 _Not much decomposition on them. How many graveyards did this guy rob? And did he check that all of them were underwater for over a month? Far too many to be a coincidence._

The magicals weren't faring well. Most were panicked students ( _kids_ ) and were so focused on getting away from one they were running straight into others. There were a lot of people on the ground. Some weren't moving. Most were.

Disgust was an emotion Mercury had been feeling quite often since he got here.

This was by far the most powerful.

Mercury jumped down and joined Qrow, who had sliced the ones nearby into six pieces. He had hesitated before attacking. Even now, Mercury could see he was uneasy.

 _These are zombies._

"There's a group that way and a group that way. We've got single units running all over the place."

"Mercury! Qrow!"

They turned to face Harry. His wand was in his hand; he was panting slightly.

"We need to get these people out of here." That was Qrow's first priority.

"No one can Disapparate," Harry breathed out. "Someone tried. The floo network isn't working either."

 _So Anti-Apparation wards and the floo network is down. No coincidence._

Qrow shot another one down. "Mercury, can physical things get through those wards?"

"Yeah."

They could see one of the groups now. They could also see them slowly peel off into different alleys. It wouldn't be quick to chase them down.

"Mercury, we're separating and hitting the two groups." Mercury nodded in agreement. "Harry, get to the carriages to Hogwarts. Pass the word on."

"Right," Harry responded with a determined nod. He turned to run.

"Harry," Mercury called before he got too far. He turned back. "Don't be a stupid hero. Save someone if it doesn't put you at risk and prioritise. Don't spend ten seconds saving one life when that time could be used saving four."

Harry glared at him.

Mercury turned away from him. They were too pressed for time to argue.

"Talaria. Get to the school. Warn them we're sending the injured there."

Talaria nodded. She spread her wings and took off at full speed. Despite the great distance, she would arrive within a few minutes.

Harry had disappeared.

Mercury ran. He passed the undead body of an eleven year old girl trying to bite a Third Year Hufflepuff. He grabbed it and threw it between the buildings. He didn't spare a glance for the Hufflepuff.

"Get back to the carriages."

The boy ran.

He came across five other survivors on the way. Only one was an adult and that was the only one that was also facing an undead child. Maybe that's why he froze. The adult picked up one of the injured students and ran for the carriages. Two of them followed, but one broke off to help another.

Mercury needed to take out the large group while most were still together before too many split off.

He passed two newly dead bodies. Both students. The elder one had obviously tried to protect the younger. They had the same colour eyes, so maybe they were siblings.

 _So whoever is killed by one of these zombies does not become one. Good._

Mercury had reached the large group. His body easily slipped into a rhythm, but one slightly different to the one he had been dancing to since Qrow and Taiyang had taken them in.

Today, he fought without any restraint.

They did not care about losing limbs. They still moved when their head was removed, but without direction. Snapping their spinal cord as well put them down for good. They stopped moving.

Mercury moved on autopilot. Female or male; young or old…Zombies don't die, but if they couldn't move, they weren't a threat.

It was easy.

/

Harry was breathless as he ran.

They were human but they weren't human.

Stunning didn't work. Neither did Bone Breakers or the Impedimenta Jinx. The only thing that did was Blasting Hexes and that only knocked them back a few steps. Despite any injury, they recovered and got up.

Harry made the mistake of looking at a man that stood up after he saved a Third Year Slytherin. He made sure the kid didn't see, sent him off and threw up. Not allowing himself to think, Harry ran on.

Hermione was by the carriages with Ron, helping the people inside before sending them off when they were full. The Thestrals brought them back when they were empty. Ginny, Luna and Daphne were on the lookout for danger. Neville, Harry, the Weasley twins and quite a few other Seventh and Sixth Years were quickly dashing through the village to find any survivors.

 _Find survivors. Bring them to the carriages. Find survivors. Bring them to the carriages._

They found many injured survivors. Harry had only come across two inhumans. He steered clear of Qrow's and Mercury's area. Very luckily, no dead bodies.

 _Inferi. They're real. Weak to fire, but so are the buildings. As long as people are around, I can't risk it._

With burning lungs, Harry continued to run.

/

The tone in the Great Hall was cheerful. Everyone was looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Good food and good company made for a very enjoyable and festive atmosphere.

There was laughter throughout all four tables. Cho was managing to smile, Justin and Ernie were chuckling, Pansy was laughing over something Draco said and Lee Jordan was entertaining his fellow Quidditch enthusiasts.

The Beacon students were equally relaxed.

"So I said 'Bumblebee? More like-'"

Yang was cut off by Talaria crashing through the doors. Completely ignoring the stares and sudden silence, she flew straight to Ruby and Yang. Her claw immediately began tapping on the wood.

Yang's initial reaction was fear as her mind put together the pieces. Uncle Qrow and Mercury were both in Hogsmeade and were meeting _Cinder._ They had to be okay. But it was obvious the message was urgent and it wasn't that they were coming to the castle.

 _Please be okay._

Yang didn't understand the tapping and Ruby was obviously still trying to puzzle it out. Normally Talaria tapped slower and the gaps were longer.

Zephyr stared. "Seriously?"

 _Zephyr's from Atlas. He would probably know Atlesian Code from a young age._

"What did she say?" Ren asked. All of them knew it, but none had been able to catch that particular message.

"'Dead attacking. Injured arriving.'"

Yang ran that through her mind. It just didn't make sense.

Zephyr didn't seem to care. He was immediately barking out orders. "Ruby, run to Madam Pomfrey and tell her we are going to have injured soon. See if you can contact St Mungo's." Ruby vanished. "Emerald, when the injured arrive, I need you to go through who needs help immediately and who can afford to wait. I'll help you with that." Emerald nodded. "You four, go around the students and see if they know any spells that can help, then make sure they return to their Common Rooms."

Lee stood up. "I'm not as good as Fred or George and nowhere near Madam Pomfrey, but I can help." Katie and Angelina nodded and stood as well.

Three Hufflepuffs. Five Ravenclaws.

"Hem, hem. Sit down all of you. There is nothing going on at Hogsmeade. Just enjoy your meals and ignore the delusions of those around you."

Talaria turned her head at Umbitch and hissed. It carried in the silence.

Dumbledore then stood up. "Would all students Third Year and below return to their dormitories." Without question, those students left. Zephyr nodded at Blake, who nodded back. She would make sure none stuck around. "Those that are familiar with healing spells please move to that side of the hall. Those that know healing spells but have never practiced them move to that side. All others return to your dormitories and look after your Housemates."

Professor Goodwitch had come down. "Do Qrow and Mercury require assistance?"

Talaria's head spun to look at her. She shook her head. No.

Whatever the threat, Uncle Qrow and Mercury would be fine. It was everyone else that might not fare so well. It was easier to fight when you didn't have to worry about innocents in the crossfire.

The students whispered, but obeyed.

 _Was that a smile on Draco's face?_

Yang must have been seeing things.

"Hem, hem-"

"Be silent Umbridge," Professor Goodwitch snapped. "It is your students who are at risk. Denial will not save the people that are brought here for help and shelter. Kindly stay out of the way while those with more professionalism work."

Umbitch opened her mouth with a pure red face. No sound came out.

Professor McGonagall kept her wand in her hand. "Are you sure this is not a prank, Mr Oakley?"

Zephyr stared at her. "Professor McGonagall, changing someone's wardrobe colour is a prank. None of us consider an attack on Hogsmeade, while children are visiting, a _prank_. Talaria would only come here if Mercury ordered it and he would not make this up."

 _Who the hell thinks that story would be made up?_

Professor Goodwitch spoke then. "You four, stay outside the Common Rooms and ensure no one leaves."

Yang bit her lip.

"Go on Yang," Emerald muttered. "We know some will try to slip out. They'll only get in the way even if they want to help."

Talaria took off again. She flew out of the hall.

Blake headed to the dungeons with Nora. Ren and Yang ran upstairs, separating quite soon.

Yang's mind was scrambled. Uncle Qrow and Mercury were in Hogsmeade. They were in the heart of the battle. 'Dead attacking'. Does that mean the Death Eaters were attacking? They didn't fight fair. They were monsters. How many people were already dead for merely being in Hogsmeade today?

 _They'll be okay._

Colin was already outside the portrait.

"Colin, why are you-"

"I can't stand by and do nothing Yang! I might not know any healing spells, but I can help!"

Yang nodded. "I know what you mean Colin. My family are in Hogsmeade right now. We need to trust them to be okay. We'll only get in the way if we go down there." They would be fine.

"But-"

"The professors know what they're doing. Except Umbitch but she's not important." Very few listened to her anymore. "As much as we want to help, we'll only get in the way."

"But-But…I want to help."

"You can help by keeping the younger students calm. The Second Years are looking forward to visiting the village next year. Tell them what it's usually like." Let the memories live on.

"I…Okay. I've got pictures." Colin walked back. Then he stopped and turned back. "Yang? You said 'your family'? How is Mercury related to you? He always seems disgusted at the idea of incest." Colin shuddered. "Understandably."

"Brother-in-law," Yang was quick to say. Whether it was by adoption or his relationship with Ruby depended on the day and how annoying he was being. "He is dating my sister and I have never seen her happier."

"Ah." Colin nodded. He jogged into the Common Room. Yang didn't follow.

Now she was alone with her worries.

/

It took ten minutes for Mercury to inanimate all the undead from the large group. It should have only taken four, but he had to keep switching targets to stop them from slipping off elsewhere.

 _Time to root out the stragglers. I don't think Harry would have managed to deal with all of them._

He hadn't. There were new holes in some of the corpses, but they were still moving.

Mercury soon corrected that.

 _No more down there. One here and it is unharmed. It had a victim. Nothing here._

He hadn't bumped into Qrow, so he guessed the Huntsman was doing the same thing or was checking up on Harry and whoever else was still around. Mercury assumed it wasn't many. He just hoped those at the school took Talaria's message seriously.

 _After all, they dismissed worries about something that granted eternal life and endless fortune._

Mercury checked the normally popular buildings. All were abandoned, including the Hog's Head. There was little damage to the structures, save for the Three Broomsticks where there were claw marks on the door. If people were trying to floo out, that was where they would go. There were no bodies inside though, so everyone got out of the building at least.

Mercury didn't notice the cold.

He did feel the dread.

Mercury could hear screams. His own screams.

 ** _"Pathetic boy. You are weak. This'll toughen you up."_**

"Shut up."

Marcus was dead. Mercury was _not_ going back there.

 ** _"Control son. You need to learn control. Two hours and no sound or I'll leave you here all day."_**

"Shut…up…"

 ** _"Good son. You're learning. You can have an hour's rest and then we'll push you for four hours."_**

 ** _"Dad…please…"_**

 ** _"Half an hour rest and five hours Mercury. You know better than to beg."_**

"No…"

As the memories returned, reality faded.

/

Harry glanced around. He had sent most of the others back to the school. Fortunately, those things had not gotten as far as the carriages. The only one that was still around was Hermione.

Qrow arrived at a run. "How's things here?"

"Everyone we found has been sent to Hogwarts with no problems." Harry swallowed as bile fought its way back up his throat. "Most should be okay. We're just waiting on you and Mercury, or anyone you would send on."

"We're not heading to Hogwarts. You two go on. I'll send the clean-up crew when they eventually arrive."

Harry stared at him. Clean-up crew?

"Aurors Harry," Hermione muttered to him.

 _Of course. Obvious._

Qrow looked at Hermione. "Don't let anyone near him save someone he trusts. Get him somewhere private he can rest and make sure he is not interrogated, especially not the way your school likes."

 _Who are they talking about?_

Hermione nodded. "The Room."

"Smart idea."

Harry jumped when Hermione dragged him into a carriage.

"Hermione! We need to go back!"

Hermione wasn't budging. "Our job's done Harry. It's over."

"There could be someone still there!"

"And Qrow will send them to the castle. We're done for today Harry."

Harry sighed and leaned back. His gaze went to Hogsmeade. The village was quiet. There was no need to argue with her.

Then there was.

"Stop!"

The Thestral stopped.

Harry jumped out and brought his wand up. But he couldn't focus.

The hundreds of dementors flocking to Hogsmeade wasn't the reason.

It was a girl. A girl that could not have been older than ten. Her gaze was dead. She was dead. But she was standing. There had been blood at her mouth. She was dead. But she had been alive once.

Prongs didn't come.

Neither did the dementors.

For the first time in his life, Harry cried.

/

In battle, emotions were a liability. Just because they were suppressed to be felt later didn't mean they weren't there.

Qrow cut up another body. He fell to the ground. Missing an arm and a leg, he crawled towards him. Two more swipes and he stopped moving. Finally at peace.

 _Where did these people come from? Who were they?_

Qrow thanked every possible God that might exist that Emerald, Yang and Ruby had not been in Hogsmeade today. Now all he needed to do was find his son and they could rest up.

 _Zombies._

Qrow could see his breath.

 ** _"Tai…She's not coming…"_**

Qrow glanced around, but aimed his gaze up. He knew what they were. There were hundreds. He wasn't sure he could kill one, but that wasn't what really worried him. Less than two seconds later, he saw it.

 _Oh no…_

The Grimm aura animal was ten feet long and flew up above the village. It must have uncoiled and that was where Mercury must be. Ten feet grew to twenty, to thirty. To forty. Fifty. The body could wrap around the entire village and still have tail left over.

It roared.

The dementors froze.

Qrow ran. Mercury could not be controlling that, not properly. If that was summoned by emotional trauma and it definitely _was_ -

A beam shot from its mouth.

The dementors tried to flee. Their screeches echoed in this recent graveyard. The beam didn't miss one. Each and every dementor was struck. Nothing remained. Not even a scrap of a cloak.

Qrow didn't care.

Talaria shot past him at the next corner.

He followed her. She was going in what he thought was the right direction. It was a guess, but it was an educated guess and he didn't have a better idea. He moved automatically, barely noting the bodies in his way.

The Guardian Form faded.

Another corner and his heart skipped a beat.

Mercury was resting against the building. His eyes were closed.

The huge snake struck.

Talaria crashed into it.

The snake's fangs missed Mercury's neck.

The snake's fangs imbedded themselves in Mercury's right eye.

The snake slammed into the ground, with Talaria's teeth buried in its eyes. It thrashed, trying to get the mini dragon off. Talaria didn't let go. Her claws slashed, but they bounced off the snake's scales. One jerk of the head and Talaria was off. She barrel-rolled and circled to attack again.

She missed the features, but her jaws clamped down on its neck.

Qrow stabbed it through the head. It didn't move. He didn't give it a second thought.

The skin over Mercury's face was growing darker. Greyer. His breathing was speeding up. He didn't wake.

 _Venom._

Qrow put his hand on Mercury's chest. His heart was still beating normally, so it hadn't spread that far yet. There was still time. He could sense Mercury's aura flaring though. That must be how the snake poisoned him in the first place.

 _It's not moving past his eye. That…If it gets to his brain-_

No. It wouldn't get that far.

Qrow hissed, feeling his own aura shatter. He had tried to transfer his aura to Mercury, but it was rejected. He knew he was past the trust issue, so there must be another reason. The last time Mercury's aura flared, Dr Waterbrook had warned them against aura transfer and told them to let it settle on its own. Qrow remembered, but he honestly didn't think Mercury had the time. He had had to at least try.

 _At least I didn't make it worse._

That had been the risk.

Blood was leaking down Mercury's face.

"Winky."

Winky popped in. Her smile vanished instantly as her eyes went wide. "What happened to Sir?"

"Winky, we need to return."

The elf shook her head. "Winky cannot move Sir. Sir's energy too unstable. Would make him worse. Sir would not survive."

 _Damnit._

Talaria was snapping in growls. Her focus wasn't on Mercury anymore, but something behind Qrow. There was no antagonism from her, so it was a friend.

Qrow risked a glance and let out a huge sigh of relief.

The Thestral stopped a few feet away from them. Emerald slid down and was instantly at Mercury's side.

"What happened to him?!"

"That snake. Venomous."

Emerald's hand went to his left cheek. "How do we help him?"

"There's nothing I can do Emerald. You're going to have to heal him."

That was the only chance Mercury had.

Emerald's red eyes met his. She was afraid.

"It didn't work before."

"He asked her today. She told him it helped if you knew what you were doing. You know you need to neutralise the venom."

"…I can't."

"Emerald, if you don't do anything, he's going to die. He hasn't got long." Emerald must know that. "You need to at least try." Emerald would never forgive herself otherwise.

Tears fell.

The hand moved to the right side.

"I-I'm sorry Merc."

Emerald's eyes glowed green. Faintly, but it was there. Mercury's skin was a dark grey, but it wasn't getting darker. It had paused.

Several seconds passed.

Then the grey began to fade. Paling back into his natural skin colour. Qrow could smell burning. She must be cauterizing a wound there or burning the remaining venom away.

Ruby appeared. She had run here.

Emerald's hand jerked away.

"I'm so sorry."

Ruby knelt next to her. Her arm went around her. "Not your fault. You're trying to help him."

Talaria crooned. Something she did when she was happy.

 _Does that mean…?_

"Sir's energy stable now." Winky blinked. "Winky can move Sir now."

Relief.

"Take us all back Winky," Ruby murmured. She was trying to smile, but couldn't quite manage it.

It took Qrow a few moments to register the change of location. They were in Dorset. Less than three seconds after Winky disappeared, Ozpin and Amber appeared in the doorway. They ran down to help.

The kids were safe.

 _This is all my fault._

"Qrow." Qrow jumped at Ozpin's hand on his shoulder. "Later. Amber, take the girls inside and help them clean up." Their hands were covered in blood. Emerald went with Amber willingly. "Come on Qrow. Let's do what we can for him."

"Oz…You can-"

"He trusts you to keep him safe from us Qrow." So he did. "Don't let him down now. This was _not_ your fault. _You_ didn't do this."

"You know I did."

"Actually, I don't. Let's clean his eye and get him to bed. Then we can discuss how your Semblance _did not cause this._ "

Little of that registered with Qrow. Treating Mercury and getting him to bed did. The fact that Mercury didn't trust Ozpin or Amber did. Save for his Gems, Mercury probably was closest with Qrow.

 _I'm so sorry Silvertongue._

Qrow had made the ultimate mistake. He let Mercury too close; spent too much time with him. He knew better; could have avoided this. He had thought he had found a balance and he had been horribly _wrong_. So very, very _wrong_.

Silvertongue had paid the price.

Qrow had nearly killed him.


	16. Response of the Living

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

8th December

'HOLLOW HOGSMEADE LEADS TO CROSSROADS

Written by Apollo Cassandra

Christmas. The holiday of joy and family.

Yesterday was the last Hogsmeade visit before the Christmas break at Hogwarts. We left a cheery atmosphere at the castle to a cheery atmosphere in Hogsmeade. Good weather. Good company. Good times.

But the good times came to an end.

It started at lunchtime. No one there knows how it started. It was that sudden. One second, everyone was talking and having fun. The next, there was screaming.

That second, the dead were walking the streets.

Experts or readers call them Inferi. To everyone in that village, they were terror. They were human, but not human. They didn't stop and didn't listen. There were a wide range of ages. One as young as eight had been turned. Even the most battle hardy of Aurors would have struggled. This was someone's child.

Hogwarts became a refuge for the injured. The carriages evacuated most from Hogsmeade to the castle, which had been forewarned. There were many experienced Healers there from St Mungo's. If they had not been there, quite a few would not have lived to see today.

We couldn't floo out, even with the generosity of Madam Rosmerta. The floo network was down. We couldn't Apparate out. There were Anti-Apparation Wards.

Where were the Aurors?

As it happened, they had problems of their own.

Azkaban was attacked. The whole Auror force was there to try to contain it. While the prison is still standing, it was a hollow victory. Many high security prisoners escaped, all high ranking Death Eaters, and the dementors went rogue. They found their way to Hogsmeade. Very fortunately, there were only two people still in the village fighting the Inferi. They have since returned home.

The dementors were destroyed in that village. The method is currently being kept quiet.

I remember looking at the injured scattered around the Great Hall. I remember a student next to me, much younger than I am.

He asked 'why'. No sane person can answer that. No sane human would condone using Inferi. I asked 'how'.

The floo network was down. That could only have been done from inside the Ministry itself.

Anti-Apparation wards can only be put up by a witch or wizard. Three individuals in Death Eater regalia were seen cheering outside the wards.

Sirius Black cannot be responsible for both the Azkaban breakout and the attack on Hogsmeade. The dementors make it clear they are connected, so he cannot be responsible for either no matter what the Minister says.

Malfoy Snr, Crabbe Snr, Goyle Snr and Parkinson Snr have been accused of being Death Eaters and Inferi were used in the last war. For once, all their children were safe in Hogwarts despite the fact Malfoy Jnr and Parkinson Jnr have never missed a day there before.

When Hogwarts was warned of the impending injured, Dolores Umbridge attempted to block all efforts to help. Was she aware of these events and wished to increase the horror or was she delusional enough like our Minister to put everyone at risk?

In the previous war, Death Eaters stood for pureblood supremacy. In Hogsmeade, there were purebloods also. They were not even the ones that were coined 'blood-traitors'. Nott Jnr was there. Both Greengrass Jnr were there. Lovegood Jnr was there.

These Death Eaters care not for pureblood supremacy. If they believed in their cause, why hide who they are? They desire to overthrow the government and run the Wizarding World _their_ way with their leader Voldemort in charge.

This is the very definition of treason.

Intentional or not, our Minister's actions have only been supporting this. He is trying to keep us in the dark. He is playing games with your children's lives. He is allowing these creatures, that are nothing sort of monsters, to destroy our way of life.

Death Eaters are a threat to everyone, be it muggleborn, half-blood or pureblood. They are cowards who hide behind the dead and their masks for nothing more than personal satisfaction.

If the Minister refuses to fight or even acknowledge this threat, then we are not safe. We cannot rely on the Aurors because there are too few. Very soon, there will be no magicals left because Voldemort does not think we deserve to live or his pets get bored.

A rabid animal is everyone's problem. If the Minister refuses to allow the professionals to do their job, then it falls to us to eliminate the problem before it destroys us and everything we hold dear.'

* * *

It had been a long time since Amelia Bones had been so drained, yet had so much to do.

She had lost almost half of her Auror force at Azkaban. They had been very fortunate to get a call from Azkaban at all while the Death Eaters were still there. If they hadn't got that floo call, all of the prisoners would have escaped. Still, they were the worst ones.

She had only set foot in her office when that elf appeared with that note.

Then she thanked every possible God Susan had been busy studying Potions with the child of one of the people Amelia wished had applied for the DMLE in the last war. They had been a war hero, but had been treated as a vigilante and had been prosecuted.

The downside of being a muggleborn after the bribery had been settled. He had left the country, but had contacted her recently through Harry about his son. He wanted to know the true atmosphere in the DMLE that his son would be facing.

Amelia had sent back an honest reply. She didn't discriminate and neither did the ones that had been in the business for quite a while. Rookies had it rough as a rule. Muggleborns twice as much.

Professor Ozpin had written that the dementors (that had defected so quickly) had been eliminated. She had still been doubtful of it, even though she had nothing to prove that the same method had not worked for the two in Surrey.

The scraps of cloak were difficult to ignore. The people in the last carriages had actually seen the dragon. They saw the dragon destroying the dementors.

 _That's not going to be easy to explain. Hopefully by the time the public start worrying about them, their job will be done and they'll be back home. For now, it's for the best they don't know._

She had sent an owl to Professor Ozpin to ask if she could talk to Mercury and Qrow as they had been in the village at the time of the attack. He responded that now was a bad time, but a few days would be suitable. They would understand if it was urgent, but Mercury was currently unavailable even so.

It would be a few days before she had the time for that.

And that was before a pre-printed copy of that article was dropped on her desk. There had been a question of how many Aurors she had lost at Azkaban, but she hadn't sent a reply and they left the exact figures out. She did confirm it was accurate from her end.

The ex-Minister had had a fit when someone took it from her desk and showed it to him. He had first wanted Cassandra arrested and then wanted to ban the Quibbler permenantly with force if necessary. Amelia had told him, in no uncertain terms, that if he was still the Minister when this story broke the next day, which it would, then he would be literally slaughtered by the public.

 _At least I was warned this time. It probably is them that wrote it._

Fudge didn't resign, so Shacklebolt took great pleasure in stuffing him in one of the holding cells in the Ministry. No amount of blustering was going to convince the people that had just fought Riddle and survived to let the maniac out. Many good men had been lost and they were in no mood to deal with a delusional nutter.

The dead had been removed from Hogsmeade. That had taken longer than expected as the defenders had taken the bodies apart to stop them from moving. She was initially going to assign someone to identify the bodies, even if she did recognise a few missing people from the last war. After the article came out, some volunteers came forward to do the job, hoping to find a clue on what happened to their possible families.

With the Minister in the cells, it took several hours for her to learn of Crabbe Snr in St Mungo's. Again. While she wasn't sympathetic, she was curious as the Healers had no idea how to handle his injuries. Amelia had shelved the problem for now as she had much bigger ones.

Oddly, Lucius Malfoy never appeared at the Ministry the day of the attack or the day after. She put a warrant out for his arrest. He had been the Minister's advisor, after all. He may get a 'fair' trial, but it would be some time before he had his day in court. He would be kept out of trouble for it.

Hogwarts was safe and when the injured could be moved, they were taken to the hospital. There had been three children and two adults killed by the Inferi, which had been left in Hogsmeade. Those that made it to Hogwarts were currently all alive, even if some were still touch and go.

 _All things considered, we're very lucky there weren't higher casualties._

One piece of good news was that the public were agreeable to charging Death Eaters with treason, provided they were genuine Death Eaters and not controlled. That was agreeable for Amelia, so she wrote several laws that she intended to enact as soon as possible. The Wizengamot were meeting the afternoon the article was published.

First was that she was screening everyone in the Ministry with Veritaserum. She wouldn't catch everyone as some were resistant to it, but most were not. She would catch some and the grunts that took bribes could cause just as much damage as those who fling Killing Curses. Amelia had already decided to start with everyone that worked with the floo network. After her own forces of course. Lead by example.

Those that were arrested were to be held in isolation for a day to ensure they weren't Polyjuiced and to check for signs for the Imperius Curse as well as potions. This was standard procedure, but things had gotten rather lax.

 _There are still those three names that they got from their 'terrorist' that hadn't been named before. Yaxley may be a bit of a problem, if it is true._

Cleaning up the Ministry was her first priority. Once they had a _working_ government, they had a chance against Riddle and his band of thugs. Now everyone saw these creatures for what they really were, the fear that resulted was slowly getting crushed under disgust and parental instinct. Most magical families in the country could have had a child in Hogsmeade at the time.

 _That attack on Hogsmeade did do one thing. It united nearly everyone against Riddle, even those that support blood purity. The neutrals in the Wizengamot are no longer neutral in the war so now we can get things done._

It wasn't likely Amelia was going to be seeing much of Susan over the Christmas holidays.

* * *

Yang was resting in an armchair that had been put in the corner of the trio's room. The Hogsmeade Incident had been the day before.

Mercury was in bed, asleep. He hadn't woken up yet. Ruby was curled up next to him also asleep, using his chest as a pillow. Talaria was lying on the bedside table. Emerald hadn't returned since she dropped in for a few minutes about an hour ago. She had spent the night in Yang's room.

Unfortunately, Emerald would only listen to Mercury himself before she began to forgive herself for hurting him even though she had needed to in order to save him. It should only take a very short amount of time, but she needed to get in the room first. Yang had tried but she wasn't getting through. Even Ruby wasn't.

For whatever reason, Uncle Qrow was avoiding him as well. Why? Uncle Qrow said nothing had happened between them when Yang confronted him, but it must have. It didn't make sense otherwise. In fact, now that Yang thought about it, he was avoiding all of them. Why?

Mercury's head moved. He had woken up.

The first thing he noticed was Ruby. He gave her a fond smile before his left (only) eye looked at Yang. He nodded slightly to her, before glancing at Ruby and looking back at her again.

With a relieved smile, Yang stood up to sit next to him on the bed. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His own smile grew a little wider.

[Good to see you awake, Merc.]

[Guess I overslept a bit.]

The right side of his face had been carefully wrapped in bandages. There was nothing to be done for what was left of his eye. Emerald had been able to stop and neutralise the venom, but she hadn't been able to heal the eye. What was left was useless. Mercury now had only one working eye.

Prosthetic legs and a missing eye and-

[How long was I out for?]

[Twenty six hours.]

Professor Ozpin had arrived at Hogwarts within the hour of the Incident to pick Yang up. Until then, she hadn't known anything had happened to them. She had thought they were alright. They hadn't let her in to see Mercury until he was settled and they were sure he was recovering. By then, Yang had noticed that something was up with Uncle Qrow.

[Twenty six hours? I overslept a lot. Remind me to get a better alarm clock.] His eyes- _eye_ went to Ruby again.

Yang knew what he was asking. [She didn't get much sleep at all last night.] Ruby had been awake whenever someone checked in on them.

[I'll wait then.] His arm did wrap around her a little, but not enough to wake her. She did hum. [How's Qrow?]

[He says he's fine.]

Mercury must have caught something. [But?]

Yang wanted to say it was nothing. When she tried, she realised she couldn't. Then she remembered. Aura reading didn't allow for lying.

 _Stupid rule._

[I don't know. Something's bothering him and I don't know what. He's avoiding everyone.]

Mercury frowned for a moment. Then, to Yang's surprise, understanding dawned. [Of course he would. You and Ruby had to get it from somewhere.]

 _What?_

[Yang, do you know Qrow's Semblance?]

[No.] Uncle Qrow had never told her. They had asked, but he had always managed to wriggle out of it. [It became a bit of a fun guessing game. Did he tell you?]

[No. I think I worked it out though.] Then his smile shifted into that annoying grin. [But I'm not telling.]

"Aw come on!"

Ruby stirred. She glared at Yang for a moment before realising the one she was talking to had been her pillow for the past few hours. She stared at him for a few seconds.

Then she pulled him into a hug.

"Good to see you too Ruby." He patted her back gently. "You do realise I'm fine right?"

Fine. Yang would not call losing an eye fine.

She was still aura reading him. Suddenly, she could tell.

He really was fine.

 _Just like he had been after he was kidnapped. Mountain Glenn, what happened to Emerald, affected him far more. I was terrified for him that day even before he collapsed. Has anyone told him this isn't normal?_

"You…You…" Ruby's shoulders were shaking. Yang knew the signs.

Mercury picked up on them quick enough. He glanced at Yang, unsure what to do.

[Let her let it out. I only saw you after it was…cleaned up. She saw it after Emerald neutralised the venom.]

"Love you too Ruby." His hand slowly ran up and down Ruby's back as his focus went back to her. "It's okay."

 _Mercury…_

At no point did Mercury stop giving Ruby his affection. Still, he didn't try to talk to her until she calmed down.

[Venom? How did I lose it?]

[A snake. Riddle's snake got your eye.]

[A bulls-eye then?] Yang stared at him, but she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging. [It wasn't Yang. A bulls-eye would have been my neck. That would have killed me very quickly.]

[Don't.] Just don't.

Ruby poked him and he loosened his grip. He was smiling at her, but she was struggling to return it.

"I'm okay, Ruby. Really."

Ruby nodded. She still cuddled into him, trying to avoid looking at the damage. He didn't seem to mind. He just ran his hand through her hair. Giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, he glanced at Yang.

"How's Em?"

Em. He called her Em.

"She's…" How to put this? "She's been better." Mercury obviously didn't get it. "She…She ended up burning part of you to heal you."

Mercury nodded. "I noticed. But she saved my life and she didn't hurt me. So what's the problem?"

Ruby also looked her then. This wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Yang bit her lip. "Okay let's try this. Let's say Emerald is unconscious and dying and your Guardian Form is the only thing that can help her. It carries her to a point, but it can't get past. It needs to break her arm to do it." This was when Mercury tried to interrupt. She charged ahead. "I know it's ridiculous but just think about it. Emerald doesn't have much time but the only way to help her is to hurt her yourself. How would that feel?"

Mercury blinked a few times, thinking it over. He didn't think long. "Horrible." His eye glanced at Ruby, who was not moving any time soon. "Yang, could you do me a favour? Could you go fetch her? And Qrow?"

"That's not going to be easy." That slipped out before Yang could stop it. Ruby gave her an annoyed look, but Mercury wasn't upset. He didn't seem surprised. "But I'll try."

"If you need to, get Ozpin to drag Qrow in here if he's still around."

That would save Yang the trouble of dealing with her uncle. Still, she would fetch Emerald and get those two sorted out before trying to get through to Uncle Qrow. Yang knew what was bothering Emerald; she didn't know what was bothering Uncle Qrow.

"Good idea." She hesitated at the door. "I don't suppose that an Aura Wielder can…?"

Mercury chuckled. "Aura Wielders can do a lot of things, but re-growing organs isn't one of them. I can make what's left healthy, but I can't re-grow it."

"Right." Too much information. But Mercury couldn't fix it. It really was gone for good. It was a long shot, but she had needed to know.

Yang left Ruby and Mercury to their cuddling. While she was happy Mercury was fine, it bothered her too. And then there was the other thing Mercury had never ever told them…

Emerald was in Yang's room, curled up on the bed with her head on her knees.

Yang didn't properly shut the door behind her. They had tried the gentle approach, so now she had to be a little more firm. There was no way she was getting her in that room otherwise.

"He's awake Em. He's asking for you. Well, more like demanding." 'Asking' wasn't the word to get her moving.

Emerald didn't move. At all.

"Emerald, if you don't get up, I'm going to drag you in there. He's not mad at you."

Emerald still didn't move.

 _As much as I don't want to do this…_

Yang walked forward and grabbed her arm. One strong tugged nearly pulled her off the bed.

"Yang, let go."

"You're going in that room Emerald. You need to talk to him. Avoiding him is going to make you, him and Ruby miserable. He's not mad at you."

"He should be. I did that to him."

"A snake did that to him. Not you. He knows that. He wants to see you."

Yang's sad pang was in perfect sync with Emerald's flinch. She wanted to fight, but she had had as little sleep as Ruby last night and even on a good day she was never going to beat Yang in raw strength. It didn't stop her from trying.

"Emerald." Hesitantly, she met Yang's eyes. [He's not angry with you.]

The trio's room was opposite Yang's. Emerald didn't get a chance to break free. By the time Yang was pushing open the door, she had given up.

Naturally, Mercury spotted her first. "Come here Em."

"Merc-"

"Come. Here."

[Go on Em,] Yang encouraged. [He doesn't bite.]

Emerald didn't reply. She did slowly approach. When she was close enough, Ruby took her hand and pulled her onto the bed. Mercury put his arm around her and held her close. With how uncertain she was, he might have been trying to prevent her from escaping.

Yang didn't hear their conversation. They were having it through their aura. They always preferred that. So did Yang. It was more personal; more honest. What she did notice was the Emerald tried to pull back a few times, but Mercury wouldn't let her.

 _Best leave them to it for now. Time to find Uncle Qrow._

Much easier said than done.

In fact, she checked nearly every room in the house and no Uncle Qrow. The final room, the study, was where she found Professor Ozpin. He looked up immediately from whatever he was reading.

"News Yang?"

"He's awake and okay." Not here either. "Do you know where Uncle Qrow is? I can't find him anywhere."

Professor Ozpin sighed. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He's good at hiding when he wants to."

"Why? Why is he avoiding us?"

"It's not my secret to tell Yang. I may have helped Mercury figure it out, but I think he can help him. When you say Mercury is okay…?"

"I mean it. He's not bothered at all." Yang sat down in one of the spare chairs. "Is there really no way to fix that eye?"

"Not at the moment. Sometime in the future maybe, but not at the moment." Professor Ozpin didn't elaborate on that. He was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. "Myself, Qrow and Sirius were asked to attend an Order of the Phoenix meeting yesterday, but we refused. With Mercury now awake, Qrow would be willing to go tonight. The meeting is at nine. I'll make sure Qrow is in here an hour before."

"Thank you." An hour should be enough.

"Emerald?"

"She's in with them now. After some encouragement."

"Good. And you Yang?"

"M-Me?" He nodded slightly in response. She shrugged a little, not sure what message she was trying to tell. "I'm managing." Keeping busy. Trying to sort out other's worries so as not to focus on her own.

"My door is always open Yang. Your uncle will be fine. He just needs someone to talk some sense into him. He should listen to Silvertongue if we can get them in the same room."

 _Mercury does seem to know what the problem is._

"Yeah." She would give the trio another five minutes before joining them.

"Time heals many wounds Yang. Once everyone is past the misunderstandings, then move forward. Never stop moving forward."

* * *

After dinner with Sirius, Harry again wandered the fields around the house.

The day before, after Madam Pomfrey had cleared him, he had spent some time in the Room. He didn't know how long exactly. Hermione had written a letter to Professor Ozpin and he picked him up maybe an hour before curfew. Harry was very grateful to both.

 _How do they expect me to sit in a classroom after that? As if nothing happened?_

That young girl was still on his mind.

 _Thank God Sirius taught me Occlumency._

It was the only way he was sleeping. The memory of those twenty minutes (felt so much longer) was hidden in the dungeons, protected by his basilisk. Now its gaze was strong enough to destroy any Legilimens probe. Harry had asked Sirius to try and get in the dungeons to make sure the defences were good enough. Just to be sure.

 _I never want to remember that again. Riddle has to be destroyed. What sort of monster would willingly follow that creature?_

Buckbeak's head came up as he approached. He returned the bow Harry gave him and closed his eyes in content as Harry petted his beak. He gave a gentle caw.

"It's just been a bad few days."

Buckbeak gently nudged his shoulder, keeping the tip of the beak turned away. With a gentle cry, he stepped back and spread his wings, an invitation for a flight. Harry was surprised, but managed to jump up without pulling on his feathers.

It was dark and the fields within the wards were very large.

It was like flying on a broomstick, only he didn't have to think. At first, he had found the motion uncomfortable. He still did a little, but he barely noticed. Back in the air, he let out a long breath and slowed his mind.

Flying. He had always enjoyed flying. That was the main reason he played Quidditch. The team had also become some of his proper friends willing to treat him as a person and not a zoo animal.

 _It's a slight surprise my Animagus form isn't a bird of some kind. Then again, just because I like flying doesn't mean that is my inner animal. Dad loved to fly too and he was a mighty stag._

A stag. Defender of the weak. Determined yet gentle.

 _I wonder what Mum would have been._

Sirius had told Harry a lot of stories about their time in Hogwarts. The good and the bad. James had been a bully towards Snape, firstly because of his interest in Lily (that his mother and Snape were friends boggled Harry's mind) and then because of the crowd Snape went around with. He had also protected some of the younger years from being cursed by certain children that grew up to be Death Eaters. Lily had been a wonderful person, but she could also be very stubborn and had a frosted temper even if it took quite a few offences to get on the receiving end of it.

Contrary to Snape's insistence, it had never been four on one. Lupin had never gotten involved and Pettigrew never fired a spell even if he stood with Dad and Sirius. It also happened that Snape cursed them when he was in a group and a Marauder was alone.

In essence, both parties were at fault and gave as good as they got.

By Sixth Year, Dad grew out of it. It took the near miss in the Shack for Sirius to leave Snape alone, though even Sirius did admit that was due to worry for Lupin. Lupin hadn't talked to him for months after that. Sirius did say he believed Snape already knew what he would find. Harry agreed, but it didn't excuse what he did.

Harry had been disillusioned with adults since he was very young. None were perfect, but some were worse than others.

Snape had never grown up and moved on from the Marauders. Now he was taking it out on Harry. If Snape cared for Lily, it had not passed onto her son even if the hatred for James had. When he went back, Harry wasn't going to bother stepping into his classroom. All of his potions had been Vanished ever since that first class this year and Harry had had enough.

Sirius had his faults, but Harry could see he was trying and he had never gotten help from the twelve years he had spent in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. Harry trusted him and that was all that needed to be said.

Fudge was a man that could have killed hundreds if not thousands of people through his denials. He deserved Azkaban, even if there were no longer any dementors there.

Madam Bones was a woman who Harry could respect. She had conviction in her beliefs, was competent at her job and wasn't corrupt.

Dumbledore was complex.

 _What kind of man am I?_

Harry had intended to sit out the war as much as he could. That was before though. Before the Inferi attacked Hogsmeade. Before that little girl who could not have been older than eight and had been turned into a monster.

 _I've learnt that there are a wide variety of greys in the world. Some people are lighter than others, but everyone is grey if you care to look. Only one group of people are different and those are the die-hard Death Eaters. The ones that are happy to use zombies to attack defenceless children for no other reason than sport. Those are black and they don't deserve to live._

Harry was going to leave the Wizarding World after this year. That wasn't going to change.

However, when Riddle eventually came looking, Harry was going to kill him. If he came earlier, then he would die earlier.

* * *

Mercury was awake. He was fine. That was very wrong, but he was okay.

Emerald was still feeling guilty and would for quite a while, but she wasn't avoiding him anymore. Not that Mercury would let her. He had been pampering her and Ruby ever since he woke up.

Mercury was fine. He shouldn't be but he was.

Qrow was not going to make the same mistake again.

"Qrow."

Qrow glanced up as Ozpin walked in. "Oz, if you're going to say-"

"It's about Riddle. We may have found the reason for his survival that night fourteen years ago."

Qrow was suspicious. Ozpin had argued with him for six hours straight after they put Mercury to bed and were sure he was only sleeping, out of danger. Then he had been insistent Qrow _ignore_ what just happened and _kill his family._

Typical that Ozpin approaches him the minute he sets foot in the house again.

 _I should have listened and flown far away from here._

The topic didn't appeal to him either. How much worse could this world get?

"What is a horcrux?"

"An individual, through very specific conditions, can split their soul and store that splinter in an object," Oz replied. "That object is known as a horcrux."

He must have heard that wrong. That sentence just didn't make any sense. "Split. A. Soul."

"Yes." Oz was just as disgusted as he was. "I wasn't told the process-"

"I don't want to know anyway," Qrow cut in. "So as long as this thing is around, Riddle doesn't die."

"Not physically. Most likely, that diary Harry told us about was one. It was far too…intelligent and adaptive. Still, if there were two, there could be more."

Twice. Riddle had split his soul at least twice. What kind of-?

 _Hang on._

"What was the second?"

"The snake."

That was _not_ Oz.

Mercury was leaning against the wall next to the door with a smirk on his face.

"You're getting slow, old man. Em stopped the hallucination five minutes ago."

Qrow jumped to his feet. "Mercury-"

"I'll be taking my leave," Ozpin cut in. He stood up and headed to the door. Mercury didn't spare him a glance as he left.

Then Qrow heard the lock click.

 _Damn Ozpin set me up._

"You can't avoid us forever Qrow."

 _I can try._

Qrow sighed. "Mercury, you don't-"

"Misfortune Semblance."

"Okay, maybe you do know." Qrow forced himself to look at Mercury's face. Half was covered in bandages, hiding the damage he was responsible for. What _he_ did to him. "How long have you known?"

"Since February."

February. Mercury had known for ten months and had never said anything.

"And I don't care. If you told your nieces, they won't care either. In fact, they would be relieved to finally know _why_. Then they would insist you stick around anyway."

That was the problem. Why he never told them. They didn't understand the dangers and they wouldn't if they did know. "I can't. You know why."

Mercury shook his head slightly. "Did Ozpin walk you through the logic of why your Semblance wasn't to blame for what happened to me?"

As much as he disliked it, Qrow's stance shifted defensively. No one had taken _that_ tone with him in years. Like he was a tiny child that he found amusing. Yet he was tempted to laugh. Any other time, he would have. But this was different.

"I'll take that as a yes." Mercury sighed, shifting back to serious. "Look Felix, you know I'm not good with this stuff." _Felix?_ "But I knew the risks from the beginning. I didn't care then and I don't care now. I like having you around. I don't want you to leave."

"I made you a promise Mercury. I promised to look after you. To protect you and that includes from me."

"…You also promised to be there when I need you. Was that a lie?"

 _No._

Five seconds silence.

"I might not have known your Semblance back then, but you did. You didn't have to keep us, but you did. If you didn't care about your family, you would have taken off and never come back like your sister, but you didn't. You stayed because you knew they needed you. They still do." Mercury's eye flickered down for a moment, almost too fast for Qrow to see. "I do."

Qrow took a deep breath. He wanted to be angry at Mercury for pushing, for sounding so much like Tai. But that could not have been easy for him to say. "It's not that simple." _Silvertongue._

"You told me life isn't simple."

He had. That had been their first talk; the first full day they spent in Patch. He hadn't thought Mercury had been paying much attention to his words. He had always been tense, always ready in case he chose to attack.

 _When did he start to relax around me?_

"It also didn't stop you and Taiyang gambling at that casino for six hours straight. Twice."

Qrow had never told him that. Apparently Tai had been telling tales.

"We were drunk."

"You're always drunk."

Qrow hadn't touched his flask once during this conversation. He didn't want to.

Mercury sighed and pushed away from the wall. He took three steps closer and ignored Qrow's warning glare.

"Running away isn't going to solve the problem Felix. It's just going to make it worse. Yang and Em already have abandonment issues and Ruby adores you."

"I'm still going to be close by. You just won't be too close. I'm not going to let that happen again." Never again.

"Right. You vanish, we know you're nearby but we'll never see you." He scoffed. "That's _worse_."

"Mercury-"

"Back to Mercury now, is it?"

That question was different. Insulted? Disappointed?

 _Hurt?_

"You were almost killed. Want to try Ruby's luck? Yang's? Emerald's?" Qrow had had enough of playing fair. He wasn't getting anyway by being soft. He had expected Mercury, of all of them, to understand. He didn't think like the others did.

"If that's what makes them happy."

 _Of course. They have him wrapped around their little finger. Yang would be so proud._

"Do you know the one thing that can beat experience and skill?"

"Luck," Silvertongue responded promptly. "I'm working on that. But Hogsmeade wasn't luck. Zombies attack people, not animals. Riddle can possess his snake, probably due to that horcrux. Makes sense he would send it."

 _'Working on that'? That seemed like a slip of the tongue._

Qrow didn't have the heart to press that.

"And the dementors? That's what called your Guardian."

Mercury bit his lip. He looked at Qrow then his eye went to the floor.

"I'm not saying this again Felix. The dementors…Maybe it was because there were so many of them, but I was already trapped down memory lane _before_ I summoned it. It wasn't a conscious thing. I was back in Marcus' house. Reliving…some bad memories."

Qrow couldn't avoid scoffing there. Mercury smiled a bit in response.

"Your aura snapped me out of it."

Every muscle froze.

"Made me remember I wasn't there anymore. I rejected your aura but not because I don't trust you. I rejected it because that horcrux jumped from the snake to me and I didn't want that in you. It talked about things; it _burned_. It took all of my aura to get rid of it before it did any damage. You don't have as much aura as me. That's why it wasn't stopping what was killing me."

Silvertongue could- _would_ have died. Because he chose to protect Qrow.

"That-You're an _idiot_! _Never_ do that again!"

Mercury's eye went back to Qrow's. "You're…" He swallowed but didn't avert his gaze. "You're Felix."

Felix.

Far too comfortable. Silvertongue had been calling him that mentally for quite a while. But he never said. Because he didn't want to bring up the Semblance. That would lead to the argument he would have had if Tai had told their kids.

 _Okay. Time to dare._

"What did you mean? 'Working on it'?"

Mercury sighed. "Didn't mean to say that." Was that really the truth? Qrow just raised an eyebrow, but now he asked he wasn't dropping it. "After the Second Task, Ozpin wanted me to make a good luck charm. That's what my project has been for the past ten months. He didn't say why, but I did look up animal meanings when I was researching aura animals. I did come across the crow. Didn't click until Ozpin gave the assignment. Then I told him to stuff the essays and let me work."

Good. Luck. Charm.

"How'd he take that?" That was Qrow's question, but that wasn't what his mind was on. Something to fill in the quiet. No good luck charm would work.

The little aura kitten appeared on the desk, lying on its side with its head on its paws. Mercury stepped towards it and put a hand on the wood beside it. Almost afraid to touch it. His back to him now.

"Said he should have told me sooner."

The shark, Qrow understood. The Grimm dragon could be explained if one truly understood Silvertongue. The winged fox was obvious.

"Why a kitten?" Qrow walked up to it.

"…Do you know what I am, Qrow?"

There were a lot of answers to that. But Qrow was sure the girls had already asked. "Either a wolf or a coyote Faunus. We weren't sure."

"I'm surprised you could tell that much from what was left. Coyote. Marcus thought wolves were only useful in a pack."

Qrow reached a hand forward. He glanced at Mercury, who nodded slightly. His hand petted the kitten, then scratched it behind the ears. The kitten's head moved a little so he could reach easier. Mercury smiled a little. He was enjoying it.

"Why did he do it? You must have been quite young."

"Seven years and three days."

Qrow knew that phrase. Where had Mercury-?

 _His aura unlocked that day._

"Was he drunk?"

"Well yeah, but that wasn't the reason. I think he had planned to do it for a while, but something happened that day. He came back furious. Then he got drunk. Then he decided to do it without making sure I couldn't move and with a pair of scissors." He glanced at Qrow. Qrow just waited. If he wanted to continue, he would. If he didn't, he wouldn't pry.

Mercury hadn't told the girls the story.

But this was probably the start of his unnatural blasé attitude.

"I don't remember much after that. He beat me to stop me squirming. Then there was heat and then nothing. The one thing I would say about Marcus was that he left the first aid kit where I could reach it, no matter what condition I was in. I would have died otherwise." He chuckled lowly. "Maybe I'm an Aura Wielder because I wouldn't have survived Marcus if I wasn't."

"Not sure it works that way," Qrow murmured.

"He wanted the ears gone because the discrimination would hinder opportunities, even if I might have been able to hide them under my hair when I was older. He wanted a Faunus because they can see in the dark. That's not right, is it?"

"No." The girls enjoying petting his hair. The coyote ears, the tufts that were left, were too close to his hairline, barely above his human ears. His hair was too long. They wouldn't have noticed; wouldn't have touched them. Even after all this time. "Were you ever going to say?"

Mercury shrugged, not caring. Very detached from the experience now. "When it was relevant. Like when I was needed to see in the dark."

"This kitten is you. Seven years and two days old."

"I knew it was different after that. It's when I started to stop caring."

Qrow's hand had stopped moving. The kitten's head bumped his hand. Like Zwei would.

"When did you fully stop caring?"

"…My thirteenth birthday. I'm not telling you why. Hopefully forever."

Mercury lost his legs even though they was nothing wrong with them on his fourteenth birthday. He had been trained with the prosthetics since, so disillusioned by then he skipped the trauma. If he had stayed in that house longer, would Mercury have lost his arms as well?

Marcus had made an incredible weapon. He had completely forgotten to make sure the weapon wouldn't turn on him.

A weapon that was a _person_. A _child_.

"I won't ask." That was a promise.

"…Taiyang told me about the bandit tribe you came from. Didn't tell me any stories about that, but he said you would be a bit of a hypocrite not to give us the chance." Tai hadn't needed to tell Qrow himself that. "The phrase 'fish out of water' also came up."

 _The bandit tribe raised an orphan that they knew caused bad luck. In hindsight, it is pretty incredible they didn't get rid of me, considering what they were. Yet Marcus was far worse._

Compared to Marcus, Raven was 'Parent of the Year'. Raven was capable of love, in her own unique way. Even if Qrow did not agree with her idea of 'family'. Tai still loved her. So did Qrow.

 _Did Tai tell him stories so he would be calmer around me?_

Qrow chuckled as a memory surfaced. "Did he ever tell you about our first day at Beacon?"

Mercury tilted his head, thinking. How many stories had Tai told him? Odd he would leave that one out.

"Nope." Ruby was rubbing off on him.

"He and Summer told me it was a kilt."

It took precisely two seconds for it to click. Mercury laughed. It was a sound he was afraid he would never hear again.

"Seriously? You fell for that?"

Qrow shrugged. "The girls liked it."

Mercury snorted. "You're crazy."

"Sanity depends on the person. But you're insane."

"Cheers. Glad I highly value your wonderful opinion of me."

"Should I keep that in mind?"

"Do I get a gold star for the right answer?"

"I don't have any on me."

Mercury tutted. "What sort of teacher are you?"

That made Qrow laugh. "Do you want to stand in front of a class of pre-teen kids?" Qrow definitely wouldn't trust Mercury to babysit a bunch of pre-teen kids. In fact, he wouldn't trust him to babysit at all.

"That sounds very unpleasant."

"Well, we can rule out teacher as a future occupation for you then."

Qrow's finger poked the kitten's nose.

Mercury shook his head a bit with a frown. "Don't do that."

Qrow was tempted to do it again. Instead his hand drifted back to behind the ears again.

 _Coyote. He likes his steak 'as rare as they can legally get it', but so do others that aren't. Nothing else springs to mind. Then again, I don't know much about coyotes._

"Silvertongue. I cost you your eye."

"Somehow I can tell we're not going to see eye to eye on that." Yang had rubbed off on him as well. He wasn't sure that was even intentional. "You've infected Emerald with that, you know."

"Did we infect you?"

"Probably, but I'm not going to find out." Mercury almost collapsed in one of the chairs. "Taiyang's not here. The way I understand it, we would be much happier if you didn't disappear. You think we'll be much safer. Which is more important?"

That was a question that did not have a correct answer.

"Not a simple question."

"Not worth answering otherwise."

Tai wasn't here. He just had to bring that up didn't he? Then the damn mess this world was in. Zombies. Monsters that can suck out souls; that can trap people in their worst memories. Magicals can _split their souls._

Yang and Ruby had nearly died when she went looking for her mother that night. If he had been one minute slower…Would she do the same for Qrow, especially as she didn't understand why? Anything could happen in this world.

This world of hell.

Now would be the worst time to distance himself.

"Until we get back. Not a minute more."

"Heh. We'll see."

* * *

It was odd what a change of scenery could do.

In a way, Sirius was as trapped as he had been at Grimmauld Place. It was a good point that going out as a dog was dangerous, so he would only do it if he had to. So far, he hadn't. He hadn't been interested in leaving. It was nice to run around outside in the woods, especially as there was no danger.

Harry was enjoying a late night flight on Buckbeak.

Horcruxes.

Mercury had approached Sirius and asked if it was possible to split the soul. He found it difficult to talk about, but he hadn't been able to describe the experience any other way. Even in their fantasy like world, splitting the soul was considered almost unthinkable and no sane person would ever attempt to do it.

But Sirius couldn't get the dread out of his throat.

The snake was a horcrux. That was how Riddle could possess it and why the protections on the prophecy didn't incinerate the snake, only repel it. Riddle could (possibly) pick up the prophecy. The horcrux later jumped from the snake into Mercury.

Harry had been seeing into Riddle's mind for over a year now.

It could be something else. It had to be. Horcruxes were made through very specific means. Surely Riddle would know and therefore would leave him alone. So it had to be something else.

But what else could it be?

Sirius had found horcruxes in the Black Family library. There had been no mention on whether or not they could be living things. Sirius had assumed they couldn't be. The one in the snake proved otherwise.

 _There is a big difference between a snake and a human. And it cannot happen accidentally._

The book didn't mention multiple horcruxes for the same person either.

Harry wasn't a horcrux. He couldn't be. So Sirius didn't have to worry about it.

Still, he was now wondering if anyone from his family had created one. If someone was sick enough to succeed, then they were not the kind of people that were suitable for a civilised society. He was now very glad they hadn't thrown out any of the objects in Grimmauld Place. That is where it would be kept.

 _The question becomes how to identify one instead of just a magical signature._

This led him looking for one of the Remnant adults. That wasn't difficult; four of the kids were still at Hogwarts. One: Hogwarts did not have a great track record for dealing with mental problems while these kids did know the signs even if it was for different reasons and could help. Two: the other team was a family first and they wanted to give them space and privacy.

Sirius was very grateful Professor Ozpin had picked Harry up from Hogwarts when he asked. Hermione had sent him a letter. She had been very worried about him and the last thing he needed were the nosy and unsympathetic students.

 _Not to mention the teachers._

The first person he bumped into was Professor Ozpin. He was in the living room nearest the study, which was the room he had been expected to find him in. It wasn't his place to ask.

"Can I have a word?"

"Sure."

Sirius took a seat. "Is it possible to use your aura to identify a horcrux?"

Professor Ozpin took a few seconds to think on it. "Possibly. We can identify magical signatures, but I'm not sure if we are sensitive enough to tell a magical signature from a soul container. Your magical core is connected to your soul after all. We might get it mixed up. We would also need to know what Riddle's magical signature feels like to know it is his."

"If the horcrux was in him, would Mercury know?"

"Most likely. Almost certainly in fact. But if you want his help, first you need to ask his Gems, then his sister and then Qrow before you go to him. You're going to get a 'no' very early on."

Sirius laughed. "That whipped, is he?"

Professor Ozpin chuckled. Then he thought for a few more seconds. "Why are you asking?"

"That book has been sitting in my Family Library for generations. I'm worried."

"Why not ask Kreacher? I would have thought a house elf could tell the difference."

Anything but that demented thing. "This house elf is barmy and completely loyal to the family. He's not going to be of any help."

"Couldn't hurt to ask. Or you could have him bring all the objects with magical signatures here. I'll ask Mercury to have a look before he goes to bed."

 _I so do not want to be doing this._

"Kreacher."

It took a little longer for the elf to pop in. When he did, he was glaring. "Filthy Master calls Kreacher?"

"Kreacher, bring all the objects currently in Regulus' room that have a magical signature or something else straight here with no detours."

Professor Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

Kreacher grimaced. "Yes." He popped away. All the objects he had seen in the summer appeared in the corner.

"That's quite the collection," Professor Ozpin commented idly.

"It's quite the Dark family. If there is a horcrux in my family, it's going to be in there."

"A horcrux possessed Ginny Weasley. Should I have these locked up?"

Sirius thought about it. There were still kids here and they were going through a bad time. "Ginny had to write in it for over a month for it to possess her. She was very unfamiliar with her magic. Your kids are a lot brighter than ours tend to be at that age and with your aura…" Horcruxes were a danger. "I would say yes. These may not be horcruxes, but they are still quite nasty." They had been locked up for a reason.

Professor Ozpin hummed. "We can, but then again there's no point if the kids are that determined. They have a few ways to get past a locked door and that would only encourage them to have a look. I will give them a warning and they should listen. They are not in a very curious mood. Besides, a soul piece is not the same as anything."

"Don't suppose you could stick a few runes on the door that they can't see?"

"Take a guess as to who is our master at Ancient Runes?"

If the papers around the house that had only been increasing since Hogwarts started didn't belong to the adults, there was only one teen they could belong to. "Mercury."

"Exactly."

"A lot of this stuff is beyond NEWT level."

"I doubt he knows or cares about that. He uses it as a way to be productive and it keeps him out of trouble." Professor Ozpin checked his watch. "Time to move."

Sirius stood up. "It's just Dumbledore, not the whole Order." That had been the original plan, but the day had been too hectic for too many people.

"That would probably be for the best."

Sirius double checked he had the envelope in his pocket before heading out of the door. The floo network was still down for whatever reason, so they were taking the Knight Bus. Professor Ozpin hung back for a few moments before joining him. They met Amber in the hallway, but it was only when they were out of the front door that Sirius realised something.

"Not Qrow?"

"He decided against it," was the reply.

 _Odd. He has been very determined to avoid and yet support those kids._

Sirius had changed into Padfoot before the bus had been called. No one paid him any attention. Then again, most Death Eaters wouldn't take the Knight Bus. They were dropped off on the right street, though he had no idea when they had learned the location.

"FILTH! MUDBLOODS! GET OUT! DISGUSTING ANIMALS!"

Ah. He had forgotten to warn them about that cursed painting.

Professor Ozpin ignored it.

Amber didn't. She studied it as Sirius transformed back. "Call your elf Sirius. If he doesn't move the portrait, I'm going to destroy it."

All attempts to get that thing down hadn't been successful. It had never occurred to him to order Kreacher to do it. The elf would keep it there out of spite. "Kreacher."

The elf appeared. "Filthy Master."

"Kreacher, I am gifting this portrait to you. Do what you want with it, but get it out of this hall and don't let it leave the house. I cannot guarantee its continued survival if I ever hear it again." He would personally celebrate. He was fairly sure there was firewhiskey around here somewhere.

Kreacher glared. He snapped his fingers and the portrait vanished. Amber formed a flame in her hand. The elf's eyes went wide and he popped away.

"Odd. We tried burning it." Along with slashing, blasting and covering. Nothing had worked.

Amber just smiled as she walked through to the kitchen.

It wasn't just Dumbledore at the table. Snape was there too. He scowled at Sirius, which he responded to with a grin, but Dumbledore smiled a little.

"Good evening Sirius. I was not expecting to see you here."

"I'm only here for two reasons." With Snivellus here, this was going to be far more enjoyable. "The first was to give you this." He pulled the envelope out of his pocket and threw it on the table in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore calmly took out the paper within. Then his eyes widen slightly and he lowered it back on the table with a frown. "I cannot allow this Sirius."

"There's nothing you can do. You have been informed and that's all that he needs to do. You cannot force him to take a class."

"Potions is a core subject."

Snape sneered. "So now he is going around telling tales? Too pathetic to give me this himself? Let the brat withdraw from my class. It is not my concern if he fails his OWLs."

Sirius growled. "Staying in your class is what is going to make him fail. You don't read his essays before giving him a T and you Vanish his potions despite the fact they are EE or even an O. Your bullying of him has gone unchecked for far too long."

"The boy is as arrogant-"

"For fuck's sake, grow up Snape! Did me and James make your life miserable at Hogwarts? Yes! Did Lily stop being friends with you in part due to us? Yes! Did Harry have anything to do with it? No! I'm here for you to take that grudge out on, not an innocent kid who had never heard of you before that day in his First Year. If he has no respect for you, it's not because of his father. You're a professor Snape; Harry has been paying the school for you to teach him. According to the Hogwarts Charter, he has every right to a portion of his money back so he can self-study. He does not have to put up with your pettiness and insecurities."

"That's what you would say, isn't it Black? Never your fault-"

"You were a Death Eater Snape, yet you avoided Azkaban. You have _no right_ to complain. I spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime I did not commit, but you don't care, do you? We hate each other Snivellus and that's not going to change. But I am not going to let Harry suffer any longer because you are a selfish prick."

Dumbledore dared to interrupt then. "Sirius, Harry and Severus need to work together to fight-"

"Why is dealing with Riddle Harry's problem? Besides, Harry is a teenager. Why does he have to be the better man with _one of his professors_?"

"Severus has my absolute faith-"

"Why?"

Professor Ozpin's question silenced the three arguing adults. He was not angry and sounded merely curious.

"I cannot reveal that," Dumbledore replied. Sirius opened his mouth to argue further, but Professor Ozpin beat him to it.

"I am well aware that you have evidence I do not, Albus. That leaves us to judge him on what we have seen. I know full well he has not been grading Harry's essays fairly as last month, Harry accidentally handed in the last page of Nora's essay on the end of his. He got a T and the standard 'does not understand the subject' as the only comment. It was obvious Professor Snape did not read it."

Snape glared at him, but did not get the chance to interrupt.

"People who have been passing their Potions OWL dropped almost immediately when he became the professor for the subject. The numbers that took the subject at NEWT level dropped by at least 75%. As a result, there have been far fewer Healers and Aurors. All complaints about him go nowhere, so children begin to believe they will not be listened to. We all know the problems that follow. You claim that he turned spy and fought for you at the end. Everything he has done since has proved the opposite. Due to the lack of Aurors, there have been many budget cuts on the DMLE so those numbers were lowered even more. And you once told me he was aware that Riddle may one day return from the very beginning. If that is true, I would believe, based on his own actions, he remains a Death Eater to this day."

Professor Ozpin's stern gaze turned to Snape. Even his glare faltered a little under it.

"Congratulations Professor Snape. You have single-handedly done more damage to this country than Riddle did during the last war."

Even Dumbledore was speechless.

Almost red in the face, Snape stormed out of the kitchen. The front door slammed behind him.

Sirius let out a long breath.

Dumbledore sighed. "Was that really necessary?"

"You are more familiar with this world than I am, Albus Dumbledore. Was anything I said wrong? Is there anything that counters it?"

"We need Severus' help."

Sirius did not miss that Dumbledore did not answer the questions.

"If that is the case, then he needs to start to help." That was Amber. "So far, even if he has been helping you with other matters, he is a hindrance to your entire society. Potions is too valuable a subject."

"He is one of the best Potions Masters in Britain."

"And we are not disputing that," was the other headmaster's reply. "What I am saying is this: just because they can do does not mean they can teach. I can think of quite a few Huntsmen that are extremely good at their job, yet I would not hire at my school." Professor Ozpin sighed. "Albus, I recognise that you need to protect a spy during peace time as well as war, but not at the cost of innocents. Severus Snape has committed crimes and his students have not. He should not come before them."

Dumbledore also sighed. He suddenly truly looked his age. "It is not that simple now. Severus' position is very precarious. I will not put his life at risk." There was no reply. "So Sirius, what was the second reason you came?"

"Horcruxes."

That word obviously meant something to Dumbledore. "Where did you hear of such a thing, Sirius?"

"I have read books in the Black Family library. They were in there. The snake was a horcrux. Was the diary from Harry's second year?"

Dumbledore crossed his fingers, clearly thinking. After a few moments, he spoke. "I believe it was. A horcrux is the only thing I know of that could be so interactive and responsive to its surroundings. You say Voldemort's snake was also? What happened to it?"

"The snake was killed in Hogsmeade," Professor Ozpin replied.

"Hmm. May I ask how?"

"The snake was killed by a stab through the head. The horcrux had already transferred from that vessel into another by that point. The new vessel did not appreciate finding a different entity than themselves in them, so used their power to destroy it."

"A stab to the head would not destroy a horcrux. Basilisk venom or Fiendfyre would. Are you sure the horcrux was destroyed? And how exactly?"

"Very sure. Our aura is a manifestation of our soul and their aura won in the fight."

"I see. That is good news."

Sirius folded his arms. "How many horcruxes do you think Riddle made?"

"I only have theories."

"We do know the difference," was Amber's response. Why was she so angry?

Dumbledore nodded patiently. "Nagini could only have become a horcrux fairly recently, at the most two years ago. The diary was made at age sixteen, which was the age Harry reported he saw in the Chamber. However, I do not believe Voldemort would have entrusted his only horcrux at the time to Lucius Malfoy. I expect he suffered greatly when Voldemort learned of Harry's Second Year."

"That was in the Daily Prophet," Sirius mused. He still had a copy.

Dumbledore continued. "Voldemort was obsessed with magic. There are three powerful magic numbers: three, seven and thirteen. That is why we are in agreement that it is unlikely there will be any others from your world."

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "I would have thought we would have news of them by now if there was another. So with two known horcruxes, the number is unlikely to be three."

"Indeed. Personally, I believe there to be seven. Seven horcruxes or six horcruxes and the piece still in his body, I am unsure of."

Sirius needed to ask. "Is Harry a horcrux?" He _needed_ to hear the no.

Dumbledore. Hesitated.

"Is that a no?" Amber pressed. "Because it doesn't seem like a no."

"It is not a no," Professor Ozpin said slowly. "Is it? That scar is not a scar."

"Get it out of him," Sirius demanded. "You must know a way to. You've had _years_ to find a way to. Get it out of him _now_."

"I have searched Sirius," Dumbledore responded quietly. "I have not found one."

"So you just left it there?! How could you just-"

"I did not wish for it to become active. I was worried how it would respond to magic."

"Seriously?! So you-"

"Oi, Sirius! Button it, would you?"

That yell was coming from the hallway. Amber and Professor Ozpin exchanged a glance, with him shaking his head. A moment later, the door opened and Mercury stepped in. How had he got here? And was he supposed to be here?

"They let you go?" was Amber's immediate question.

"I intend to be back before they find out I'm gone." Mercury glanced around the kitchen. "Someone let this place go a bit."

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "I think you are going to be in a lot of trouble when you get back."

"They're too busy arguing with Qrow to notice and he's going to be in trouble for a lot longer than I am. The girls screaming was giving me a headache anyway."

"Not going to fly," was Sirius' warning. He knew how women worked.

"I know. But me sticking around is a visual reminder of Qrow's issues and I've just finished my argument with him. They're just going to be upset that when I said I was leaving, I didn't exactly say I was leaving the house and not the room. If they even find out."

"He told them?" Professor Ozpin seemed surprised for whatever reason.

"Yeah. Just as well it's this batch of the sisters' potion that is working. I should be finished in the next few days."

"Good to hear."

 _What is?_

"Why are you here?" Dumbledore asked. He seemed relieved by the intrusion.

Mercury looked at Sirius. "I need to talk to your elf in a proper conversation and he's not cooperating."

"What could you possibly want to talk to that demented thing for?"

Mercury pulled something out of his pocket. It took Sirius a moment to recognise it. "This. I want to know where his 'Master Regulus' got it, but he's not saying."

As if on cue, Kreacher popped in. "Filthy Mudblood steals Master-"

Sirius cut him off. "Kreacher, where did Regulus get that locket?" And why did Mercury pick that out of the collection? That it belonged to Regulus was the only special thing about it.

Kreacher sneered. "Master Regulus told Kreacher not to tell anyone in the family. Even filthy Master."

Sirius really wanted to throttle this elf. But why had Regulus done that?

"Fine. Tell Mercury where Regulus got the locket. And answer all the questions put to you in this room."

Bizarrely, all emotion faded from Kreacher's face. "A cave. A cave by the sea."

"Was Regulus the first person to own this locket that you know of?" Mercury pressed. "If not, what was their name?"

"No. The Dark Lord had it before Master Regulus."

 _No way. Is that locket-?_

"How did Regulus get this locket Kreacher?"

Kreacher was quiet for a moment. He shouldn't have been able to do that, but when he answered it wasn't like he was fighting not to.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to take him to the cave the Dark Lord took Kreacher to. Kreacher did. In the cave is a lake. Centre of the lake is an island. On the island was a potion and locket was in the potion. M-Master R-Regulus drank…"

"And you took the locket," Sirius finished. The tone of the elf's voice…What had happened to his brother? This must have been what killed him, but what exactly happened? "What happened after that Kreacher? What happened to Regulus?"

The elf didn't sneer. He didn't answer either. Master Regulus was more important than his current Master.

"My questions are the same as Sirius', Kreacher," Professor Ozpin murmured softly.

Now the elf did answer. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to leave without him. Said he was thirsty and Master Regulus w-went to the l-lake. Master Regulus…Master R-Regulus didn't get to drink. Arm shot out of w-water a-and M-Master R-Regulus…"

Kreacher was _crying_.

"Kreacher couldn't save Master Regulus. Dead-Dead arms…D-Dragged below…" Kreacher sniffled. "M-Master was g-gone. Kreacher obeyed. Kreacher went h-home. Told n-no one."

Regulus…Regulus hadn't been killed because…He had died because…

 _Regulus. Why did you try to do this alone? I would have helped you._

"But even if you didn't tell, the chain is damaged." Mercury tapped the metal. "Did you do that?"

"M-Master R-Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy l-locket. Kreacher tried. Kreacher tried everything."

Regulus had been…

"Let me try." Amber held out her hand. Without a word, Mercury tossed it to her.

Kreacher did not try to grab it. The elf looked so _hopeful_.

"I do not believe that will work," Dumbledore stated as he studied the locket in her hand.

There was a fire around Amber's eyes. That hand caught fire, burning hotter than Sirius had ever felt and he was standing quite a few feet away from her. The locket was impossible to see in her palm.

Then there was an unholy screech.

The fire vanished as abruptly as it started.

The locket was a melted mesh now.

Dumbledore cast a spell on his hand and picked up the remains. That was all it was. The locket was destroyed. "Extraordinary. How did you do that? Only Fiendfyre should have harmed it and even then it would need to be open."

"I have our magic."

Kreacher stared at it. Sirius stared at it. For once, the two agreed on something.

 _Regulus didn't die a Death Eater. He just didn't realise what he was serving when he first joined. Then he tried to destroy it. I promise Regulus, we'll finish what you started._

Sirius took a deep breath. He needed to get out of here.

"You don't have to worry about the rest of your stuff," Mercury stated as he stared at the locket. "That was the only one. For anyone."

Sirius nodded dumbly. He had forgotten why he had asked for help from Professor Ozpin in the first place.

"I think it would be best if you headed back Mercury," Professor Ozpin offered. "Best not mention this to the girls."

Mercury scoffed. "That conversation would not go over well. What maniac even considers this as an option?"

"An inhuman one," was Dumbledore's reply.

"Obviously. Night all." Mercury left.

Sirius' hand curled into a fist. "Kreacher, that locket is yours. You can keep it." He never wanted to see it again.

With trembling hands, the elf picked up the remains of the locket from Dumbledore's offered hand. He popped away.

"I think it would be best to continue this conversation another time," Professor Ozpin quietly offered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Agreed."

Harry was a horcrux. It had to be destroyed.

And if Dumbledore couldn't find a way, Sirius would have to.

He owed Harry that. He owed Regulus that.


	17. Long Term and Short Term

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

The girls and Qrow never learned Mercury left the house. None of the adults told them, deciding that there were enough arguments between the family, although Amber did tell Mercury that they were going to be much more protective of him. Ozpin advised just to let them fuss over him.

Still, they would soon have something else to distract them.

Qrow had been slightly relieved when Amber and Oz dragged him out to a bookshop to find the level of books Emerald would need for her 'medical training'. He fully intended to spend more time with his kids as he wouldn't really see them again when they got back, but the danger was still very high. This changed slightly when it snowballed into an insanely long shopping list for the next three days, after which the other four would return to the house. They only got back about seven hours later.

The first thing he noticed was that Mercury had a dark grey mask over most of the right side of his face. Somehow, it almost seemed less glaring. A notice-me-not; Qrow did remember that was runes he was working on with a few of the others.

The second thing he noticed was the ring that Mercury gave him. It was silver, but on the underside were markings he could only assume were runes. On the outside, when he looked very closely, there was a very slight gold line nearly pulsing in the centre. It almost seemed alive.

"Silvertongue, I know you're new to this sort of thing, but you give the ring to your girls."

Mercury chuckled. "Felix, I know I'm new, but we're not ready for that."

Qrow smirked as he turned the ring around. "So what is this?"

"Early Christmas present from your kids."

They hadn't celebrated Christmas the previous year and they hadn't intended to this year either. They got presents for the inhabitants, but that was it. Birthdays were also out because they weren't getting any older.

So this was something else.

"Your nieces challenged us to a race. Fancy it?"

Video games. He couldn't think of a single time any of them had ever beaten him at anything, even if he couldn't stop cheating. It was also something he didn't have to worry about having disastrous consequences.

So he was very confused after the first race and it wasn't just the fact that he lost.

"That was the most boring race ever."

Oddly enough, the next nine races were exactly the same. No blue shells, around three red shells total for everyone and a banana as low down as fifth.

What.

"Okay, what did you do?" And why were they so happy?

"I haven't touched the settings in over three months," Mercury replied.

"So?"

Qrow stared. Speed: 50cc, so the opponents were easiest. Weapons: Easy, or in other words extremely boring. If he had been playing Mercury on these settings since September, then the ten races they just had, he should have been having for quite a while. He hadn't seen a difference between their races and the races the other kids had had and they were on very different settings.

"I think you actually broke the game," Silvertongue replied, rather amused. "I shouldn't have gotten hit by one blue shell in ten races, never mind at least four in every one. If I had any doubts about your Semblance, that first race that day killed them stone dead."

Well, it wouldn't be the first time he broke a game's programming. It always fixed itself when he left, so he had never been bothered. This was the first time one of the kids had caught on, but he wasn't annoyed.

"What did you do?" Qrow asked. It should still be broken.

Ruby bounced up and down. "Turn the ring off and we'll play again."

The ring.

Good luck charm.

This was far from conclusive.

 _But…_

Ten races. None of the other three managed to stay in first place for more than three seconds before getting a blue shell, followed by at least three other weapons that landed them in last. It was exactly what had been happening for the past three months and he knew for a fact what the settings were.

Then the next ten…

"I don't think I've ever been happier to play such a boring game," Yang cheered.

Qrow looked at the ring. He didn't know how, but he could see the results. It worked for a video game. That did not mean it worked for real life.

"Bad things happen Qrow," Emerald muttered. "They always will. But they won't be your fault. At least, not your Semblance if you don't want it to. You won't hurt us."

"Sorry it took us so long to finish," Silvertongue added, smiling softly.

Ruby and Yang jumped on Qrow, almost glowing with happiness. It was instinct to ruffle their hair and tickle them a little. Ruby yelped and poked him. Yang tried to return the favour, but Qrow 'accidentally' kept Ruby in the way. She just giggled.

This was far too good to be true. Just because it worked here did not mean it would work for the important stuff.

But he really didn't want to bring down their immense joy.

He did promise to stick around until they got back home, after all. He would soon find out exactly how effective it was.

But as the days went by, it didn't change. It was _very_ effective. His Misfortune Semblance wasn't working when the ring was 'active'. He tried it against everyone in every way he could think of. It passed every test he could throw at it. He came to one conclusion and, while it was obvious how he felt about it, he still almost could not believe it.

The ring neutralised his Semblance.

It didn't bring people around him good luck. It just eliminated the bad influence. Random chance really became random chance.

Qrow could use it to switch his Semblance _off_.

Did this mean he could stay? Stay at home?

Qrow turned to study the book on the table of the bedroom. A red rose in the centre with a green gemstone through it but not overlapping, inside a yellow burning heart with silver wings on each side. The wings spread out inside a yellow spiked heart, with a grey wing and gear touching above. On the back: a white rose growing from the ground and a raven in flight.

 _Tai, we have four very special kids. I'm really sorry you missed this._

They all missed Tai. All of them would always need him.

 _I'll bring them home Tai. I'll bring them back to you. I promise._

All five of them would come home. So Qrow had to get used to spending a lot of time around them without the terror of hurting them. Even so, that required one more test and he was very hesitant so he needed to pick carefully.

They might not celebrate Christmas here, but it had been quite some time since they had gone out for a meal.

And maybe ( _maybe_ ), he _might_ let Emerald and Yang talk him into going to London with them.

* * *

The Hogwarts students left at the end of term.

The four Beacon students were staying until the day after. It was their professor Albus Dumbledore wanted to speak to. The morning they were due to leave, he asked the portrait to announce him and waited.

He only waited a few seconds before Professor Goodwitch answered. She beckoned him in to the Common Room, settling in the chairs.

"The students?"

"Packing. We planned to leave in an hour. Thank you for your hospitality. What did you wish to speak to me about?"

Albus sighed. "I find myself with a bit of a problem. I cannot terminate Professor Umbridge's employment as, while I do not agree with her teaching, she has not broken the Hogwarts Charter. All I can do is not renew her contract next year, especially as I do not have a ready replacement."

"That is unfortunate," Professor Goodwitch noted. Albus nodded slightly in agreement. "Is that why Gilderoy Lockhart remained a professor despite possibly bankrupting a few families with his booklist and performing his books in class?"

"Exactly. Each professor has their own booklist to complement their style of teaching. It is also possible that, with the Ministry acknowledging Voldemort's return, she will begin to teach the students properly." There was no need for the rest to be acknowledged.

"But you're not hopeful."

"Precisely. With the Auror force so low in number, they cannot afford to lose one person." Albus did see now that Severus' preferred teaching style left them at a disadvantage, but there was little to gain by him changing now. Voldemort would be very suspicious.

"That is to be expected. That doesn't explain why you are here."

"Professor Flitwick intends to start an official Duelling Club. While attendance is not mandatory, I expect many students will be interested. I was wondering if you would assist him."

Professor Goodwitch did not initially refuse. She thought the request over carefully. "What exactly are you asking of me, Headmaster?"

"I do not wish for students to become soldiers. However, I feel that you will catch things that our professor will not. While he is a Duelling Champion for many years, you are more familiar with the difference between the situations."

"Such as running rather than staying to fight a lost battle. Most students here would consider that cowardice. The Gryffindors especially."

It was a sad fact, but Albus agreed. "I do not wish for the children to be anywhere near the war. However, Voldemort did not care about that when he attacked Hogsmeade and there are other targets. I know that the children that took charge there have spent much time with you and they are the reason so many made it back safe."

"Situational and battlefield awareness. While we teach the tactics from their first year, it is not normally until nearly their third until they have enough experience for it to become instinctive. Mr Potter's…rather unique education made him an enthusiastic student."

Albus had suspected that someone had told them of Harry's little adventures. He had just not expected it to be Harry himself. While he had been aware of Harry's movements in his First Year and had been very close by to interfere if he was needed, the later years had been more unexpected.

Had Albus known it was a Basilisk, he would have evacuated the school. However, he did not know a Basilisk could petrify under certain conditions. Their gaze killed instantly. He had been thinking it was a previously unknown gorgon like creature. There had been mentions of them in Greece with the locals convinced it was a monster rather than a spell.

"Their education in DADA has been fragmented and much has been missed. Those that were taught under Professor Lupin had a good knowledge of creatures and, while Barty Crouch Jnr may have been insane, he had been an effective teacher when it came to spells."

"My students certainly agree with that." Professor Goodwitch thought a little more. "It is not going to be simple, Headmaster. The fact that they continuously and, in some cases viciously, taunted someone who had scarred a boy and killed a dragon effortlessly does not fill me with confidence that they will learn what I need to teach them."

Albus sighed. He chose not to drift from the main topic. "There is a difference between someone who appears to be a teenager and someone who appears to be a Death Eater. They will not make the same mistake."

Professor Goodwitch nodded her agreement. "Professor Flitwick can teach them the spells and I can recommend some ways for them to use them. However, I reserve the right to throw students out of my classes and my students come first."

The second condition was to be expected. "Provided that you give all students a fair chance first, then that is acceptable."

"Then I shall talk more about this with you closer to the start of the new term. If you'll excuse me, they are eager to see their friends."

"Then I will not keep you." He stood up, then hesitated. "I didn't ask when I had the chance before, but what happened to Mercury's eye?" He had not brought it up at the time with tempers already so high, but the question had been there.

"The snake bit him. It couldn't be saved."

"It is good to see him awake and coping well."

Professor Goodwitch narrowed her eyes slightly. "On the contrary Headmaster. It is not. I hope you can see yourself out."

Confused at the sudden hostility, Albus chose to leave and think on it more.

* * *

The locket.

The snake.

The diary.

Sirius folded his arms and stared at the list. There had to be something there. Why had Riddle chosen these as his horcruxes? The snake was his familiar, so that did make some sense. The locket was an heirloom from Salazar Slytherin himself. He claimed to be his Heir. But why a diary?

This would be much easier if he asked Dumbledore, but he was too angry right now.

There was no such thing as an accidental horcrux. But Harry was one, so _how_ was he one? Riddle couldn't know otherwise he would leave Harry alone for now. As long as the horcrux in Harry lived, Riddle did.

 _At least, the horcrux in the scar that is a complete separate entity from Harry. There is still a possibility for a best case scenario._

The girls and Qrow had eventually acquiesced to allowing Mercury (who seemed to have mixed feelings over the overprotectiveness) to scan Harry and his scar. For the time being, they told him there was some Dark residue likely left by Riddle himself. Harry accepted that, but those in the know were now certain of the truth. Sirius hated lying to him, but he needed a better answer than 'I don't know' to every single question Harry was going to ask.

Slytherin's locket. His own familiar. A schoolboy's diary. That last one didn't make sense. It wasn't special.

A cave in the sea, but wanted someone else's house elf. Normally near him, but sent on jobs. Lucius Malfoy.

There must be a pattern here. But Sirius wasn't seeing it.

Six or seven horcruxes. It was unsure if Harry counted.

Sirius had searched through the Black Family Library again. He still hadn't found anything about removing a soul from a body, especially one that didn't belong. There were two known ways to destroy a horcrux: Fiendfyre and Basilisk venom. They had access to both, but Sirius wasn't allowing either anywhere near Harry.

Aura had also managed, but none of that family would let Mercury anywhere near Harry for that reason. Sirius, in good conscience, couldn't ask them to. At the very least, not until they knew it would do what they wanted.

Mercury had said that the soul piece in Harry had been different than the one in the snake. It was inactive, much weaker and contained. That did not make it any the less dangerous. Especially to Harry.

Did Riddle know they were hunting horcruxes? Professor Ozpin and Dumbledore did not believe so due to the numerous explanations of each. The locket had been missing for years but, if there were others, they would be found in the same places. The snake had been attacking someone and his father had protected him. The diary had been in Lucius Malfoy's hands and he had thrown it away.

What was the pattern?

As much as Sirius hated to say it, Dumbledore was the man to ask. If they could find other ways to destroy these horcruxes, they might find a way to help Harry.

"Sirius, you need a hobby."

Sirius looked up. He hadn't heard Amber come in. He had thought everyone else was in bed.

"No point. I'm not much use otherwise." He flipped the paper over and tried a different order. The diary had contained a sixteen year old, so that had been made first. The one in the snake 'looked like the unholy snakeman' so that was the most recent. Maybe he needed to backtrack Riddle's life.

 _What fun._

Amber sat down opposite the desk. "Madam Bones is organising a trial for you next week. While she hasn't said it, I think she wants you as an Auror again. They certainly need everyone they can get and you took down a lot of Death Eaters in your day."

"That should have been a sign that something was off," Sirius replied bitterly. He swallowed. "Sorry." Amber wasn't even here when that happened.

"It's fine. People tend to see only what they want to see. Especially here."

That interested him. "That happens in your world too?"

"We are all human or Faunus. It happens, just not as often. Grimm are good for that at least."

 _Fighting side by side does build trust._

Sirius had heard the word 'Faunus' once during the shouting match that family had had. Professor Ozpin had told him about them later. It didn't make them any less of a person. If any of them were a Faunus, he couldn't see it.

"What do you think of my chances?"

"You're old news and it was always a trial by tabloid. That suspicion may be there, but at least you'll be aimed at Death Eaters and not at the public. That is even if they remember you were once thought to be Riddle's right hand man. They do tend to have short memories."

 _Isn't that the truth?_

Sirius wasn't sure he was going to become an Auror even if he did get his freedom. That would take some serious consideration as Harry was planning to leave Hogwarts at the end of the year. He wasn't hopeful on that acquittal though.

"Save Snape," Amber tagged on idly. "Shame he's quite the drama queen when it comes to the Marauders. I just don't understand why Dumbledore trusts him so explicitly. What has he done, especially when compared with you?"

Sirius didn't care for Snivellus. "He won't tell. He never tells."

Amber tapped the list. "He'll need to for this and before Riddle finds out someone knows."

"What about Harry?"

Amber sighed softly. "I don't know. I can't help there. With Dumbledore's resources, there's probably nothing in Britain, though he probably hasn't asked anyone. So maybe we need to go further afield."

That was a good point. Many wizards think the world ended at Britain's borders, except when it came to Quidditch. "Any country in mind?"

"We're looking into it, but we're not going to get started until at least term starts."

Sirius wanted results. He didn't want to wait. But he wanted time with Harry. "Until term starts."

"…When do you plan on telling Harry?"

"That's-" Sirius stopped and took a deep breath to calm down. "When I have answers. Even if it is to 'is it going to become active?' Unless you choose to tell him earlier." There was a warning in his tone.

"James and Lily made you his godfather. I don't think they were wrong to."

"Quite a few would disagree with that."

"Name one that is not also a gullible moron."

She did have a point there. There was one thing bothering him though. "You know, I get why you wouldn't like us, but why do you hate us?"

Amber sighed. "It's not hatred as much as frustration. Hatred may be involved, but…The main reason is that this world just should not be in such a state. It started long before Riddle's rise to power, otherwise he wouldn't have found any followers. This whole war was just so… _avoidable_. Everything was so avoidable."

"Riddle turning into a monster wasn't avoidable," Sirius snapped.

Amber smiled slightly. "It may have been. But we'll never know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sirius, let me ask you something. You know Harry wasn't treated well at the Dursleys. So why did he never turn them into frogs or something like that? Surely if a kid is scared, they lash out at what is frightening them."

"Unless they were too afraid-" Sirius cut that thought off immediately. "What has this got to do with Riddle?"

"When Riddle was in the orphanage, very few had any money. I can't say anything about his, but we both know how horrible children can be to each other. Throw in that accidental magic happens around certain children and you have a recipe for disaster. Especially when the children don't understand. If weird things happen around a kid, then the kid is weird. Bullying tends to follow and in his time, there were very few safeguards. If any."

This was ridiculous. "Loads of kids are bullied. They don't turn out like Riddle did."

With Amber's frustrated sigh, his anger faded a little. Apparently that wasn't the point she was making. "You're jumping ahead. Riddle's getting bullied in the orphanage. He, unlike Harry, realises that he is causing the odd incidents to occur. So he uses that to terrify them into leaving him alone."

Sirius could see that. "Then he goes to Hogwarts and finds out there are others like him."

"Abused and bullied kids can go into any house. Gryffindor because they no longer have any sense of self-preservation, so they will gain acceptance there for being 'brave'. They can go into Hufflepuff because they desire friends that will never abandon them or 'loyalty'. They can go into Ravenclaw because they find solace in studying. Or they, like Riddle and like Harry should have done, go into Slytherin because their cunning and self-preservation is why they are still here."

Sirius no longer thought that Slytherins were evil. That said, he still didn't like the idea of Harry going into Slytherin because that meant he would have been in the same House as many of Riddle's followers and that could have ended his life.

"How do you know this?" This wasn't really known and given what Sirius' family was like, they would have known.

"The history of muggle orphanages is well documented in their world. Textbooks, museums…Not hard to find at all. Many of the ghosts remember Riddle and it was almost common knowledge around them he was from an orphanage. Put the facts together with normal child behaviour and there's a pretty good guess. It might be wrong, but it's a reasonable guess."

As much as he hated to admit it, Sirius could see the point. He and Snape were a good example. "Dumbledore would know for sure."

Amber's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Yes. Dumbledore."

She might be frustrated at the Wizarding World in general, but she hated Dumbledore. "What's your beef with him? Other than the fact he's allowed Harry to walk around with a horcrux in his head?" That alone was enough to turn Sirius against him.

"…It is mostly Harry," Amber admitted. "Though the state of his school doesn't help. Sirius, have you ever heard of the nature vs nurture debate?"

"No."

"It's a debate on whether you are who you are from birth or how you were raised. Riddle grew up in an orphanage and they were often considered hell for the unpopular kids there. Compare that to the Dursleys; Harry never had any friends before Hogwarts. Riddle turned in Hagrid for the death of Myrtle because he was afraid Hogwarts would close. Harry investigated the Basilisk for the same reason. There are far too many parallels between Harry and Riddle." Amber shook her head slightly. "I think that it's how we are raised that determine who we are. Qrow partially disagrees with me, saying he's found someone that was raised right and still grew up to be an utter maniac. Though he agrees with me that 999 times out of 1000 that it is upbringing. You see my point?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "You think Harry is an experiment for Dumbledore?"

"I honestly hope not. I hope that he doesn't realise how bad it was for Harry there. But I don't think he really understands how bullying and abuse affects people, especially when they're young. At least, I hope he doesn't."

 _Great. So either he is trying to make another Riddle on purpose or he just doesn't understand what he is doing. That's just crazy. He shouldn't be anywhere near Hog-_

Amber slid the list over to her. "He turned in Hagrid because Hogwarts was going to close. It wouldn't surprise me if he hid one of his horcruxes there."

Sirius' mind went blank at the change of topic. It took a moment to restart again. "If it is, it's going to be a nightmare to find. It could be anything or anywhere."

"That is the annoying part."

"Slytherin's locket." Sirius swallowed before he continued. "Maybe it's in the Slytherin Common Room."

"Maybe." Amber rubbed her forehead. "I'll ask. Then we need to talk to Dumbledore."

Sirius growled. He definitely didn't want to talk to Dumbledore now. Even if he didn't know how bad things were at the Dursleys, a child begging to stay at school and not go back home should have raised some eyebrows.

Dumbledore had taken Harry from him and put him _there_.

"Let me know how that goes."

"I'm not going to be the one meeting with him."

Neither was Sirius.

* * *

Fred and George were well on their way to throwing their NEWT exams. They wanted to pass their Potions, Charms and Transfiguration at least well so no one could accuse them of stealing someone else's work, but not enough to get into the Ministry. Even so, they were only sitting them because Harry asked them to as part of their agreement for the 1000 galleons. It had been a nightmare to get him to agree to any sort of terms and they fully intended to pay him back with interest. He had turned down 33% of the business as a silent partner, but they did come to a compromise at 23%.

Harry was learning to haggle. They grow up so fast.

Their pranking products were going very well. So were the Purging Potions.

The rest was a mixed result.

When Harry asked how they got a residence on Diagon Alley, they had told him. Then they had bargained with him and had managed to get some of his contacts out of him with the promise that they would sell some of their merchandise with their names while they searched for a place.

Now they were very happy business partners. Which made their other projects much easier.

They then got a letter from Ren saying that, while their notice-me-not didn't work for people, it worked great on objects. In his (or more likely Nora's) words, they could put it on Moody's leg or eye and people wouldn't really notice or would even forget they weren't normal.

Wand holsters for the serious stuff. Extendable Ears for the prank stuff. Everyone's happy.

Except maybe their mother, but she shouldn't be trying to turn them into Percys. The git still wasn't talking to them.

It was just as well the Terror Twins had a lot to focus on because they would have gone mad with boredom otherwise. Their family had returned to Grimmauld Place, though their mother had given no reason for why they couldn't stay at Hogwarts (in reality they really gave up demanding answers quite a while ago).

For once, the twins ignored the Order meeting downstairs. They had bigger fish to fry.

"The Portable Swamp would start here…" Fred pointed at one of the corridors on the third floor of Hogwarts on the Map they had borrowed from Harry.

"…And would end here," George agreed. "Causing problems for our lovely toad."

"And only her."

There was one bonus to staying in Hogwarts until the end of the year: annoying Umbridge.

But it was time to move on to more serious matters.

"Diagon Alley. Leaky Cauldron here…"

"Apparation point here, here and here…"

"Knockturn Alley here."

They studied the points on their own little drawing. That was entry points from a lot of directions. If Voldemort was willing to attack Hogsmeade, he could attack Diagon Alley. There were many ways in and out and many ways to use that to your advantage.

"How about a swamp here?"

"Too much overlap. Here-"

"Helps them. Here-"

"We're on good terms with Fortescue."

"Fair point."

"How about here?"

"Ollivander's? Tickling a sleeping dragon, my unintelligent twin."

"Fair point, my less charming twin. Leave crates here and set them off to something no one would think of-"

"A good distraction for Death Eaters. More Inferi wouldn't work. The Portable Swamp for that would be here."

"I like the way you think."

"So spells…"

"Not Severing or Banishing."

"Not Blasting or Incinerating either. How about S _corgify_?"

"Nah. _Taratangella_?"

" _Expelliarmus._ "

" _Cantis_."

"Now that's an idea."

Unknown to them, their mother was listening from the other side of the closed door, having removed the Silencing Charm.

* * *

Progress. Finally.

Normally trying to get anything done through the Wizengamot was like pulling teeth from a hippogriff. Now it was like getting feathers off a highly trained owl in summer.

Veritaserum was required for all prisoners. They were to be kept in holding cells at the Ministry as there was no point shipping them to Azkaban (nor did they have the manpower). In extreme cases, the Veil of Death was the punishment for a 'Guilty' verdict, especially those that had already escaped Azkaban before.

Sirius Black had been tried (for once) and, surprisingly, found 'Not Guilty'. Once Madam Bones pointed out that he had never had a trial and was the heir to a prominent pureblood family, everyone allowed it. With the articles from Apollo Cassandra, most people were biased towards him and accepted Pettigrew was alive because of the bounty. The trial went a lot smoother than was feared. Actually, it was rather anticlimactic for all the worrying that had been done about it.

Sirius Black was now back on the Auror force, with the condition that Harry came first and he was to start after the Christmas holidays. That was granted. Harry's guardianship was currently going through a lot of channels. She didn't keep tabs on that.

It was two days after Christmas that Amelia was finally able to spend the day with her niece.

Fortunately, while her day off was interrupted, it happened at ten at night, so that was fine. Susan was already in her room ready for bed, though Amelia wasn't sure she was sleeping. A familiar Patronus entered her room.

"Madam Bones. Stopped attack on muggles. Come in."

Apparating to the Ministry of Magic resulted in a lot of checks at the Apparition point. She was glad that the security measures were being employed seriously (and that she wasn't excluded even if she did have a unique pass code). In five minutes, she was on her way to her office.

Shacklebolt was already waiting.

"Report."

"There was an attack in a muggle neighbourhood. There were no civilian casualties, although there were a few necessary Obliviates. However, we now have three dead Death Eaters and four alive in custody."

"Anyone already known?"

"Alecto Carrow is dead. The others are mostly unknown. One of the live ones is Avery."

Amelia nodded. This wasn't going to be overly simple. He had pleaded Imperius once before. "And the reason that you called me in and the rest of the Department is still busy or asleep?"

"The three dead look identical to Nott fourteen months ago."

 _That's not good. Still, something's not right about that._

"Were they found together?"

Shacklebolt shook his head. "That's one of the odd things. They were in two groups: three and four. Two of the three were dead and one of the four."

"Interesting." The method fourteen months ago was thought to be some sort of fire even more deadly or more controlled than Fiendfyre. This was very specific.

Amelia Summoned parchment and quill to her. She wanted to know where the possible suspect was and a possible reason.

'Three dead. Four alive. Same as Nott. Pattern? DMLE'

"Winky."

The elf popped in. The elf would not obey her, but she would take messages from her directly to the Remnant group. This was one situation that an owl would be too slow.

The elf popped away when she gave her the slip.

"Ma'am?"

"I have no evidence but a very strong suspicion who killed Nott. So I am asking someone familiar with them if they can give us somewhere to start to save time. Where did this occur?"

"The same land where the World Cup was held."

Amelia frowned. What was the point in that? That wasn't the kind of place muggle baiting usually happened. There were only five houses down there.

Winky popped in, handed over a slip and vanished again.

'Next time, put Ozpin's name on. Passed it on. Check the wands or don't know. Mercury'

The elf was bonded to Mercury. She had forgotten she would go to him first unless told otherwise. The location was well known and there was a Death Eater attack there, although that seemed to be a drunken outing (in her opinion, the people that do this while drunk were too dangerous for society). The location was probably a dead end.

"Was _Prior Incantatem_ performed?"

"Yes Madam Bones. Unforgivables were used."

"By?"

"Alecto Carrow, Selwyn and an unidentified. Those were the dead ones."

"That is most likely the reason. Those using Unforgivables cannot be under the Imperius Curse, so that's most likely why they are dead." That fact was not necessarily _taught_ and was subtlety discouraged from being taught (to her annoyance) _,_ but it was simple to figure out if one knew how the Imperius Curse felt.

Shacklebolt seemed surprised to hear that. "Madam Bones, forgive me for asking but…"

"Why was this not used in trials after the last war? Mainly, it's not common knowledge and more importantly, those that were caught normally didn't use Unforgivables in their last battle. There's no way to know if they did in a previous fight because of their masks."

"Is that going to be a new law?"

"One step at a time." Though that was what she was planning. "If this is the same person, then we are going to have a problem."

Shacklebolt nodded. "They have magic that is very dangerous and most likely Dark."

That was not the main issue. The main issue was this individual's immunity. Amelia had even less forces to spare. As such, she was reluctant to aggravate them. With a wave of her wand, the door was covered in a Silencing charm.

"Shacklebolt, this is not to leave this office. Especially to Albus Dumbledore." It was not that she did not trust him, but there was nothing he could do to help and his meddling could be a big issue.

Shacklebolt seemed almost sheepish. "Err…You know about that ma'am?"

"I do. I suspect that Alastor Moody is also. Provided that you do not break the law and no vigilantism, I won't waste necessary resources on a potential ally. We're bad enough off as it is. What I want you to know and pass on is that this person is not a top priority." By the time she became one, the group should hopefully be gone.

Amelia didn't like relying on hopes, but at the moment she had bigger problems. The Death Eaters had destroyed this world once already.

"Not a top priority? Ma'am-"

"Right now, our concern are the Death Eaters and their master. So far, she has only been a threat to them and they were the aggressors. There were Unforgivables on Nott's records that he bribed his way out of."

Shacklebolt glared at nothing because of that. Good. "Still-" He interrupted himself. "She? Do you have an idea who it is ma'am?"

"One of the thirteen odd muggleborns."

He looked just as unhappy about that as she was. Then he frowned. "Thirteen? I thought there were only twelve."

"This one stays in the muggle world unless meeting one of the others. If they decide to go muggle baiting again, they run the risk of running into her. Doing this, quite honestly, she saves us time and manpower we don't have. Unless that pattern changes, give me the cases and I will handle them."

In reality, they had no legal power over her either. She was technically a muggle and would be tried by their laws. It would easily be decided as justified self-defence or a manslaughter charge. Especially if their jury had a magical on it by coincidence.

"Understood."

"Anyone of immediate note in the cells or can it wait until morning?"

Shacklebolt sighed. "One of the caught ones looks like he's fresh out of Hogwarts. At best."

Amelia groaned. She was not dealing with this now. "Tell Dumbledore we will be at Hogwarts when the next term starts. Please tell me he wasn't a Slytherin." Most of the Death Eaters, not all but most, seemed to come from that House.

"I can't say. Tonks seems to think so."

Tonks had only graduated recently herself, so it was a good bet. It didn't matter, but Amelia had noticed patterns. Why had Dumbledore put a Death Eater (the spy part was irrelevant) in charge of a House and then allowed them free reign?

Amelia shook her head to clear it. She wished she was still in bed. "What was the location of the last muggle baiting incident before this one? Surely not the one three weeks ago."

"I don't know for sure. I can get the records if you like."

"That can wait until the morning."

"Everything else can wait until the morning Madam Bones. It is the connection to Nott's murder that is worrying people."

"If they don't cast Unforgivables, then they have nothing to worry about."

In the morning, she would show more care about the law of the land and the morals of the citizens even if they stalked the streets at night and targeted the helpless. Right now, she didn't care. While the Auror in her was unhappy with someone putting the rapid animals down immediately, the aunt was pleased there was one less Death Eater that could harm Susan.

Who knows? Maybe now they see they can get killed for their 'playing', the incidents and attacks may go down.

Amelia didn't believe it.

* * *

"Mercury. I need to pick your brains for a bit."

Mercury obviously didn't like that, but he did follow her into the kitchen. Then again, Mercury didn't like being in the same room as Amber was. The others didn't follow, although they did give a brief look.

Getting him on his own had been as tricky as Amber had expected. Impossible in fact. The three girls rarely, if ever, left him alone and when the others came back, they had been very happy to see him after three and a half months. He was also leaving in the next few days for London with the rest of them.

Whatever he did to the mask had done a good job. They hadn't even realised he was wearing one when they got back and it was only when he used it as an example for some project that it clicked for them. Only then did it click that the eye was damaged and even then they had a very hard time remembering it when they turned away. They were still more than half convinced he had two functional eyes.

All except Zephyr who seemed to have spotted it before Mercury commented on it. He had drifted a little from the others and, when Amber approached him, he said it was personal and that he had a few things to sort out. She didn't press.

"What do you want to know?"

Amber gave him Sirius' list. "We were looking for a pattern. Where do you think that an obsessed, hypocritical maniac that was terrified of death would hide soul containers?"

Mercury studied the list and thought for a few moments.

"Well, the idiot's not smart. If he was, he would have hidden them in random junk and dropped them at the bottom of the sea. But this is what he chose, so he must be sentimental even if he claims he's not."

Mercury went quiet as he thought about it some more.

Amber had not been impressed when Qrow had told her he had taken these two in. Furious would describe it well. Oddly enough, it didn't pass into livid, to her surprise. He had given her Emerald's story instantly and, given what Cinder had promised her to get her to agree, he thought there was _some_ hope for her. Amber couldn't be bothered to track down where Qrow lived as she knew it would be a near impossible nightmare. If they became a bother, it would not be a very long term bother.

It was this less anger than there should be (and slight curiosity she would admit) that had gotten Amber to see if there was a connection between a bad background and bad behaviour. If there was, Amber would probably never see them again. If there wasn't, she would kill them. She wasn't sure what she thought of the results.

Honestly, Emerald reminded Amber far too much of Azure.

 _And now she's a Maiden._

Mercury still unnerved her slightly. His lack of reaction to losing his eye didn't help. Even so, his insanely high pain tolerance along with his ridiculously inhuman thinking could be useful (even if it was disturbing). She had decided to ask what he knew and not think on why he knew.

 _He was the one who argued with Qrow when he was depressed for whatever reason. The way those two interact is a lot like-_

"I don't think the Slytherin locket is enough to tie him to his magical heritage, especially as he's _that_ obsessed with it. I'm not sure whether that is the location or the object, but looking into his immediate parents or grandparents might find something."

"We were wondering if he hid something in Hogwarts."

"Definitely. It's supposedly the best school in Britain, though if that's the case, I pity the others."

Qrow had said those exact words nearly a year ago.

"Where would you think?"

"Chamber of Secrets maybe? …Not the Slytherin Common Room. That's one part of the school, not the school as a whole. Slytherin's locket is that connection. So maybe not the Chamber if the diary was that one. We could ask the house elves of places where they like to store things. They could have moved it by accident after he left. How many of these things are there?"

"Possibly seven."

"Joy. Three down then, one known, so possibly another three. Or four depending on how he counts." He sighed and read it again. "The diary was in Malfoy Snr's hands. He approached Regulus Black…which doesn't make sense unless…Black…"

"Black?" That seemed like a random thought.

"Lucius Malfoy married Narcissa Black. Regulus Black was approached even though he hadn't been with the Death Eaters for very long at all. One's nothing, two's a coincidence but three is a pattern. If you have that many horcruxes, especially one that is designed to act like a weapon, maybe he gave one to someone else. You have four or five safeguarded; you can be a little daring with one or two."

That made a bit of sense. The book that contained horcruxes was in the Black Family library. There was probably quite a lot of dangerous magic in there and Amber got the impression that they were hoarders of their heirlooms.

"Riddle was not known for trusting others," Amber pointed out.

"It's not _trust_. Not exactly anyway. A bribe possibly or a test. If he was after the Black library, he could use it that way. If he's willing to split his soul, it doesn't mean much to him. Just another bargaining chip unless he starts to run low."

 _Definitely not thinking more on that viewpoint._

"How many of his Death Eaters were related to the Blacks?"

"Nearly all of them. How many were _closely_ related to the Blacks…" Mercury closed his eye. Maybe he was trying to see the insane bramble bush in his mind. "Narcissa had a sister called Andromeda, who married Ted Tonks and was considered a blood traitor…Bellatrix." Mercury's eye opened again. "Bellatrix was the other sister. And from I heard about her, I can see him giving her one as a reward and telling her to guard it. Unlike Malfoy, she would."

"Where would she hide it?"

"Away from her husband so not at her house. It wasn't in the Black house either; I would have noticed when I scanned through the stuff there. Somewhere it would be safe, but not somewhere she would need to constantly guard. Even if something happened to her, it would be safe."

It was vague, but it was something. That was assuming Bellatrix did have one and that it wasn't misguided logic. He did have a point about Regulus Black, though. Many families had a house elf. Why go to Regulus Black?

Amber slid the paper from him, flipped it over and wrote a few notes. They were guesses, but it was somewhere to start. Maybe Sirius could shed some light if he saw this. He might be able to think of a few places where someone would put something to keep it safe.

They were back to Riddle's background. Which led them back to Dumbledore.

 _It's one thing to become a sociopath because no one taught you different or it was your only way to survive. It's another thing entirely to encourage that behaviour in a school and punish those that act as human beings._

"Riddle lived in a muggle orphanage," Amber commented. From his expression, Mercury didn't know that. "Would he put it there?"

"No. That's too much of a weakness. Somewhere connected to that orphanage or an event when he was growing up, yes but…I don't think the orphanage itself. He was too obsessed with being magical. He rose above that though and he may want a reminder to that. Pander to his ego. That does beg the question of what he was doing during that time between Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort. Does he care about the journey or the end result?"

That question wasn't asked to Amber, so she didn't answer. Three or four trinkets that could be nearly anywhere and be almost anything. If he had done as Mercury suggested, he couldn't be killed. But he hadn't. But then they had to hope they were all in significant places or hadn't been moved since he put them there.

Then there was the horcrux in Harry's scar that they had no answer for.

"A muggle raised half-blood in Slytherin that manages to rule the House," Mercury mused. "Parselmouth probably helped…which ropes back around to the diary or the locket. A familiar is a familiar." He shrugged. "All I've got are guesses. Magicals seem to run on their own insanity. Maybe if we find the one in Hogwarts, we can get more leads. The diary is the odd one out, yet if it was his first it must be significant in a different way. Not material or magical. Something personal."

"Personal," Amber muttered. Then she spoke up a bit. "The name in it was T M Riddle. If he had it at the orphanage, it was probably one of the few things he _owned_ when he was sixteen. Something that was his and his alone."

Mercury chuckled. "It would make sense that that is the one he gave to Malfoy, who thinks wealth and name is everything. Imagine the look on his face when he is told a tattered book is an incredible magical artefact."

Amber could see why he found the irony amusing.

"That's all I got. You need me for anything else?"

"No." He had been very helpful.

"Great."

Amber didn't immediately get up after he left. She had a lot on her mind and none of it was on Mercury or Riddle.

* * *

Harry put the Daily Prophet back on the table as he picked at his waffles.

Sirius was free. He hadn't been called in as a witness as the incident in the Shrieking Shack was not brought up. The focus had been on the events leading up to Sirius' arrest. Ted Tonks, Tonks' dad, had been the lawyer representing Sirius and had been fantastic. It had made the others look either inept or so war trodden that they ignored facts.

The result was the same: the Wizengamot did not want to be thrown in prison indefinitely without trial (regardless of the fact the dementors were no longer there) and this case would allow Madam Bones to quote in order to do so.

The whole Secret Keeper couldn't be proven. Apparently, hearsay wasn't even allowed in muggle court without some sort of evidence or suspicion. That Dumbledore gave it convicted Sirius in everyone's mind.

It also saved Snape's despite the fact he had been a Death Eater. Unlike Sirius, Snape had committed crimes and he had never paid for them.

 _And Dumbledore expects me to play nice with him when he refused to? When I was eleven and had no idea who he was?_

Dumbledore had explained why he had placed Harry with the Dursleys despite his godfather being available. Blood wards that didn't protect him from dementors (not a problem anymore) and had allowed Sirius to get so close (that he wasn't looking for trouble was irrelevant).

In fact, his whole third year told Harry that either Dumbledore didn't think Sirius was guilty or he had no care for the students. Sirius got into Gryffindor Tower and could have killed Harry if he wanted.

 _Not that I ever got told anything._

Harry went through his mail, deliberately leaving the Twins' letter for last. He still remembered turning purple for the day. A bit of harmless fun that had greatly improved Harry's day.

After his breakfast, Harry sighed and headed to the study. Professor Goodwitch was inside, working on something.

"Ready to go Harry?"

"Yeah."

It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to seeing his friends. He just wasn't looking forward to seeing Sirius' house. There had been the suggestion that they come to Dorset, but Amber had refused. Seeing some of the stuff Mercury and Ren were working on, along with the constant pranks and games going on, Harry and Sirius had agreed. Even with five of them in London for the past four days, it was still crazy.

Sirius had already gone through. There was some Order meeting. It surprised Harry he wasn't interested in them anymore. However, the floo was in the kitchen and Harry didn't fancy getting up at 6am.

"Have a good day."

 _Sure._

Harry was also in a rather depressed mood for some reason.

Sirius was ready when he stepped out and caught him before he stumbled to the floor. "I've no idea how you do it Harry."

"It's a talent," was Harry's response. He didn't recognise any of the other three people in the room. "Upstairs?"

"Probably. Don't do something I wouldn't do."

Harry snorted at Sirius' too cheerful tone and started walking.

 _Odd. Sirius mentioned there was a painting there._

With a shrug, Harry headed upstairs. Sirius had said they had tried everything to get it down. It looked like they had managed to find a way.

 _No such thing as impossible. Just depends on where or how you look._

"Ah Harry." In a moment, he was enveloped in a hug. "How nice to see you again."

"Good to see you too, Mrs Weasley." He hadn't seen Mrs Weasley since just after the World Cup. He was very happy to see her now.

She pushed him back a little and studied him. "A better weight than normal. Are you staying for dinner?"

He hadn't thought about it, but now he did… "Yes Mrs Weasley. I've missed your cooking."

"Such a flatterer. Everyone's upstairs. They'll be pleased to see you."

"Thanks Mrs Weasley."

She patted him on the back as he passed her. Feeling a twinge of guilt of how she might react to learn he planned to leave Hogwarts, he didn't look back as he headed up.

 _Come to think of it, Ron probably doesn't know either._

Harry wasn't going to tell him. He really didn't want another shouting match.

Ron was complaining about not wanting to clean his room. Ginny responded that it wouldn't take this long if he bothered to use a cleaning or levitating charm while he himself moved other things. Harry entered during Ron's response.

"-about you go and let me do it."

"Because we both know you won't."

Harry's head turned between the two siblings. "You could have been done by now if you stopped bickering."

In unison, they jumped and looked at him.

""Harry!""

"Hey mate. Didn't realise you were coming over today."

Harry shrugged. "I've never been here and I was curious. Is the Burrow still not safe?"

Ginny scoffed and Harry caught a ball of fluff on her shoulder. "Well, mum doesn't think so. So we're stuck here."

That didn't make sense to Harry. "But Hermione's spending Christmas with her parents. Surely if her home is good enough, yours should be."

"I asked about that and mum wasn't happy. Dad said that the Death Eaters don't know where she lives, so she should be fine."

That made sense. "So how was your Christmas?"

Ginny instantly perked up. "Great. Thanks for the quill, pen and notebook. It's been a lot of fun, though dad was a bit too interested."

The main problem with parchment was that it could be difficult to bind together. Notebooks were a lot easier. Ginny sometimes liked to make silly lists when she was angry, though the person she intended to curse wouldn't be impressed. The multi-coloured pen helped.

Harry had gotten Luna a full painting kit.

"He should get out in the muggle world," Harry chuckled. "I can think of a few places he would enjoy."

Ron groaned. "Don't encourage him. It's been quiet so far and I don't want to spoil it."

"Quiet?" Harry knew the Burrow was never quiet, so with the family here it should not be quiet.

"Fred and George have been locked up in their room for nearly the entire holidays. No explosions or anything. It's weird."

Harry laughed. "You're just happy that you're not their test subject."

Ron nodded. "Exactly."

Ginny shrugged. "I think they're getting ready to move out."

That shrug bothered Harry. "Ginny, what is that on your shoulder?" It was a ball of fluff, but it seemed to be moving and not with Ginny.

"Oh, that's Arnold. He's a pygmy puff. Fred and George were thinking about selling them in their shop, but this one arrived too fast, so they gave him to me for Christmas."

Harry did remember the Twins mentioning they were thinking about little pets that required little upkeep and cheaper than an owl. He just didn't know they had picked the species.

"What did they say to your mother?"

"That they found him at Hogwarts and thought I wanted a pet."

Ron snorted. "Mum'll swallow anything if it means they stay out of trouble." He sighed and stared out the window. "I wish we were back home. I could challenge you to a Quidditch game then."

Ron had used some of his money to buy a Nimbus 2000, along with new robes. Harry had gotten him a broom servicing kit for Christmas.

Harry did feel a bit bad about that. He could fly around Scapolite Sanctuary, but the adults had refused to allow anyone else through. Harry could see the reason, but it still annoyed him.

 _Then again, it would be wise to keep Nora away from the Twins at this point._

"You know those new plays you were writing to me about?" Harry asked in an effort to cheer his friend up. "Grab some parchment and show me."

Ron's face lit up and he ran out of the room.

Ginny chuckled and shook her head. "So. Staying long?"

"At least until dinner."

"So mum managed that. It's not a nice house, but I'll give you a tour and a few stories. We did have some fun over the summer."

"You made it sound like you were waging war on the house."

"We were and the house was putting up an incredible fight. By the time we came back for Christmas though, the place was better. Kreacher actually tidied up."

That surprised him.

Ron reappeared then.

Sirius hadn't said much about this house, but his opinion of it was clear. Ginny did say it was cleaned up a bit when she showed him around (after Ron had showed him ideas that professionals would use). The stories they told about cleaning could be published as horror stories and that was before he was told what sort of creatures were living here.

Fred and George remained absent until Mrs Weasley called them for dinner.

It was very odd and very welcoming how similar the feeling was to the Burrow. He had missed staying with the Weasleys.

So he was going to stay for the rest of the week even if Sirius didn't stay.

* * *

 **AN: I had a message from someone who is a great Snape fan and asked about the previous chapter. As I know there are a lot of Snape fans, I will answer it here as well.**

 **I do not have a grudge against Snape and the lowering of students in his classes is something that would happen in the muggle world. Most students their age do not know what they want to be when they grow up and so are going to pick classes they enjoy. This isn't helped by only having career meetings in their Fifth Year. If they are determined enough to be something, like an Auror, then they would pick Potions even if they hate it. This does come from my experience at school and even university.**

 **One thing about this chapter is that while JKR has stated Riddle would have been a psychopath either way, there is no such thing as Author Guarantee in the story.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	18. Jury's Out

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

"You are rather predictable."

"In this case, what did you expect? You wouldn't have sent me the letter otherwise."

"She did have it coming."

"Everyone has standards, I suppose. …So how long have you been working for Cinder?"

"What makes you think I do?"

"You didn't ask who Cinder was just now."

"…Fair point. How did you know before?"

"Educated guess. Your letter mentioned something you couldn't know. It was a pretty big slip though so I wasn't sure."

"What…Oh. That. How did I forget that? Meh, doesn't matter. Three months before Beacon. My job's done now though, so I don't have a reason to stick around."

"So why did you?"

"…"

"You made the mistake, didn't you?"

"It's not as easy as it looks. You're hardly one to talk. You're so far past the line you may as well be in a different continent."

"I will be in a few hours."

"Very funny. But not yet. And we need to talk before that."

* * *

As many of the 'Imperius'ed Death Eaters from the last war were now parents, Sirius couldn't say he was surprised that quite a few of those children were interested in receiving Dark Marks. It was a mix of relief and horror that only two students (one from Slytherin, one from Ravenclaw and both of age) had a genuine one.

There was a group that had drawn one on their arm as a prank. Very unamused, Madam Bones took them into custody too. Their attitude instantly changed either during arrest or after a night in the cells, as was her intention. They were very subdued when they returned to Hogwarts the next day.

Though that might have been due to the atmosphere on that third day.

Sirius was very confused when he walked into Madam Bones' office for the first time on his first day back and she said they were going to Hogwarts.

"Already?" was Sirius' question. Madam Bones had only been there the day before yesterday. Surely Harry was still fine after two days.

"As far as I am aware, this is not connected to the events of their arrival."

That did not help Sirius' confusion. Moody's appearance only made it worse.

"Got your message Amelia. What's the new job?"

"Investigation," Madam Bones responded. "There was a murder at Hogwarts either last night after dinner or this morning before her first lesson. As the deceased was a Ministry worker, Headmaster Dumbledore had no choice but to lock down the school and call us."

 _Umbridge is dead? Couldn't have happened to a nicer woman._

Moody grunted. "Woman had plenty of enemies. She wasn't well liked at the school. Could be anyone. Not very surprising reasons either."

"This didn't happen at the Ministry though," Sirius pointed out. "How did she die?"

"Not certain yet. There are no marks on the body so the Killing Curse is possible. So is poison. I'm still waiting on those results."

Moody shook his head. "Might not matter. It could be nearly anyone in that school and they could have left by now."

Sirius glanced at him. "You think it was a student?"

"Can't rule them out."

For a first job back on the Auror force, it was certainly unique. While there was plenty of kids finding their way to the infirmary normally and more dangerous injuries when Sirius was a student, the most recent one to have died was Myrtle, who it turned out Riddle had killed. Although, Sirius mused, it probably wasn't due to lack of trying on the assailant's part and, although he wasn't expecting Snape to get killed, he could have been.

 _Idiot._

So Sirius, Moody and Amelia were now in the Headmaster's Office of Hogwarts.

Sirius was not happy about this.

So Moody and Amelia did most of the talking.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, please give us your actions from after dinner and everyone you can accurately provide an alibi for."

"After dinner, I can only confirm my alibi between 7pm and 10pm. Myself and the four Head of Houses were in this office. We always have a discussion after the first full day. I was then alone until breakfast this morning, although I say that I was in my office the entire time."

That gave five people an alibi between three hours. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Sirius did have to ask. "Not including the front doors, there are six ways I know out of Hogwarts and that is not including the Shrieking Shack. Do you know of any others?"

"I'm afraid not. However, I can confirm that no one entered or left through the front doors after dinner last night."

One of the passages had collapsed. One led into Honeyduke's. The others could be roughly checked by seeing how much dust was still there.

"The portraits?" The Marauders had been caught more than once by a portrait.

"I have not been informed of an intruder or any activity. I will spread the word if you wish."

"I do," Amelia responded. This certainly wasn't admissible in court, but they needed a suspect first and they may have seen something. "Is there anything that has happened that was of note?"

"I would suggest you speak to Severus."

 _Great. I think I want to avoid him. No doubt we would argue about everything but this murder._

"I intend to," Amelia responded. "Where is everyone now?"

"The students are in their Common Rooms and the teachers are in their offices."

"Thank you." The pair stood up.

"Don't go anywhere," Moody grunted. Dumbledore responded with a patient, yet tired smile. After they passed the gargoyle, he spoke again. "We starting with the crime scene or the teachers?"

"Let's check in with Smith. He may have our cause of death by now."

George Smith was waiting at their crime scene: the office of the DADA teacher. Everything was in order, much to Sirius' disgust. The damage to the eyes that this was should be illegal. It was just wrong.

Smith looked just as disturbed as Sirius felt. "Ma'am. Scene's clean and the door was still locked but we can't get magical signature in Hogwarts. There's something in that cup that is more than tea. It is thought to be some sort of poison, but one that's never been used before."

 _So Umbridge was poisoned. Did she invite the culprit in? Or did they unlock the door and lock it again behind them?_

"List of ingredients?"

Sirius was no good at Potions anymore, so he didn't bother looking at the list. Instead, he took a closer look around the room. He didn't think Umbridge would invite anyone in. This happened after dinner. If it happened after curfew, it almost certainly wasn't a student. She would have given them detention and sent them on their way.

"No sign of a struggle?"

"None."

That supported poison. How would a student smuggle that into the school, especially with the arrests of marked students two days before? This seemed a bit too gutsy for a student. Sirius was leaning towards a teacher.

Moody chuckled. "I thought they looked familiar. This is an altered Veritaserum. This 'unknown' was what made it deadly."

That almost certainly ruled out a student. Veritaserum was very tricky to brew.

"Then I believe we need to speak with Severus Snape," Amelia noted. "I will do that. Moody, I want you to talk to McGonagall. Sirius, as you know how they work best, talk to Goodwitch. Let's rule them out."

Sirius wanted to say that they didn't have the skills to brew Veritaserum, but he had seen what Ruby had been trying to brew at their house. She had been trying to brew Felix Felicis and he was certain she had succeeded. If she could do that, then she could do this.

 _Ruby? Poison? I find that impossible to believe. An accident sure, but this was no accident._

"Did she have anyone in detention last night?" Sirius asked. "If someone saw her alive, we might get a better time of death."

Smith shook his head. "If she did, the detentions are irrelevant. She died at 11.22pm."

 _Dumbledore's alibi is useless then._

"Rather accurate," Moody grunted. "The detention might give a motive. Make sure to get all their alibis Black."

Sirius was sceptical. "You think one of them did this? I can't see it."

"I remember what quite a few detentions were like in the last few weeks that year. Branwen and Goodwitch made it clear they didn't agree that a detention should result in a trip to the Hospital Wing for burns or cramps due to excessive work. How do you think they'll respond to this?" Moody strolled over and pulled a drawer open.

Sirius looked inside with horror in his stomach. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Blood quill. If we find out that someone wrote with it, we might be able to compare handwriting for a victim and a possible motive."

Blood quills were horrible things.

 _But they're not illegal. Sending kids into the Forbidden Forest with only Hagrid, who split them up, while something was killing unicorns. Muscle cramps and chemical burns isn't uncommon with Filch. Snape isn't any better if he is angry enough to refuse them gloves when they're cleaning cauldrons. Detentions have certainly gotten more extreme since I was at school._

Okay, Sirius could see them being furious with a blood quill. However… "That is also the case with Hogwarts students. There isn't really anyone for them to report to, after all. No one who they think would care anyway." Harry had made sure Sirius knew that and if the 'Boy-Who-Lived' didn't get any support…

Amelia nodded. "I certainly know how I would feel if someone did this to Susan. At the moment, we cannot confirm they were used or that any detentions took place. For now, let's get everyone's alibis while we can. Smith, I want you to find any paper that had been written with a blood quill."

"I've never come across that ma'am, so to be sure…"

"The writing will be in blood."

Smith swallowed, glared and nodded. "If it's here, I'll find it."

"Good."

When the three arrived at the staircases, they went separate ways. Sirius' first action was to check the passageways he knew of. By the dust gathered around all of them, none of them had been used in months. If it was an outsider, they must know of a way into and out of the castle that Sirius didn't.

 _Quite a security leak, especially if Riddle heard about it. If it was a teacher, then there is little to worry about._

On the way back up, Smith stopped him and gave him two sheets of paper. That made his heart stop. Both had been written by a blood quill and had obviously been on more than one sheet of paper. In fact, Smith said there were three pages for one and five pages for the other, both with small writing.

One set of handwriting undoubtedly belonged to Harry. The five pages one. 'I will respect my betters'. At this point, he probably still had a scar as it hadn't had enough time to fade.

Sirius was going to be having a serious talk with both Harry and Dumbledore. Harry should not think this is a suitable detention, but past experience told him it was. As much as Sirius wanted to storm up to Gryffindor Tower, he took a deep breath and continued to his original destination. It wasn't more important, but Harry was in no immediate danger.

Professor Goodwitch was waiting for him in their Common Room. "Are you here as Auror Black or Harry's guardian?"

"At the moment, Auror Black. I need to know where you were after curfew last night and before breakfast this morning."

"All of us were in here. They were playing a board game from eight until midnight when I sent them to bed. I went to bed soon after, at around 12.30. I can't confirm anyone's location after that."

If this is accurate, all of them had an alibi. "None of them left, not for a trip to the kitchens or anything like that? All of them were in your sight?"

"Save Zephyr getting knocked out of the game and going to bed at about 11, no. He never came back down and none of them left."

 _So none of them were responsible. Guess I need to ask anyway._

"Have any of them ever had detention with Umbridge before?"

"Just Ruby yesterday. She broke a Hogwarts rule and Professor Umbridge caught her. It was an agreement they would sit a detention with a Hogwarts teacher if it was a Hogwarts rule broken."

'I will obey the rules'.

 _Ruby. Ruby has a sister, girlfriend, boyfriend and uncle. All very protective. This is motive but if they all have an alibi…_

"What was the detention?"

"She said it was writing lines. Nothing more than that. I remember thinking it odd compared to the stories Harry and the other students told us, but it wasn't out of line and she was already tired, not to mention stressed, before she left for it."

 _If only you knew._

"Do you have one of Ruby's essays? I want to be sure this is hers." Sirius really didn't want to hand over a sheet of paper that had Ruby's blood on it.

"One moment." Glynda stood up and walked to one of the drawers. She pulled one folder out from the bottom of the pile and brought it back. She grabbed a few papers out of it and handed it over.

The handwriting was the same. There were very, very slight differences but that could be chalked up to the pain of the blood quill. This really wasn't what Sirius wanted to see.

Ruby was the other one.

"Did Qrow and Mercury go to America in the end?" Sirius had heard they planned to leave this morning. Why Qrow picked America Sirius didn't know (hopefully they would find answers to the horcrux in Harry problem), but they should have left by now. They had planned to take a portkey, so Sirius could check it at the Ministry.

"Yes. They left at 8 this morning."

They knew of the same passages Sirius did. If they came in last night, the dust would have been disturbed. As such, they were not responsible, especially as they had no way of knowing that Ruby had written with a blood quill.

 _Why did she? She's not like Harry; she shouldn't have put up with it. She's been raised knowing that's wrong._

Sirius could think of an answer quickly. She didn't want them to know because she was afraid this exact situation would have occurred. There was nothing anyone could do legally, but they wouldn't merely accept it. It was up in the air which of the family would have done it if they found out. Probably whichever reached Umbridge first.

 _Yang's Semblance is linked to her anger._

Ruby had a very good reason for not talking.

However, it didn't matter. All of them had an alibi and the others couldn't have known what had happened.

They were looking at a magical crime.

/

Amelia had chosen to speak to Severus Snape herself. This was to eliminate bias.

A blood quill detention would be a motive for murder for the Remnant group. However, it would not be for someone from Hogwarts as detentions where you need to go to Madam Pomfrey was something that happened often. If there were complaints, Dumbledore never did anything about it.

Veritaserum was a very tricky potion. It was one that was very difficult to get right and if the person felt confident enough to edit it, then they must have known what they were doing.

Amelia was leaning towards an adult. Umbridge would have thrown a student straight out, not had tea with them. Snape would certainly know how to create such a poison and he did have Veritaserum in his stores. She had no idea about motive, but he did have means and opportunity.

It may not count as a true motive, but Umbridge was hated by everyone throughout the castle. People had killed for less.

Snape was in a foul mood.

"I will tell you now I had nothing to do with this."

"Then this should be quick," Amelia replied as she sat opposite him. "What were your actions after dinner last night and before breakfast this morning?"

"You don't even know when she died?"

"Professor Snape, the sooner you answer my questions, the sooner I can move on."

This was not the only murder Amelia needed to investigate. She trusted Shacklebolt and needed to reassure herself that Hogwarts was safe for Susan, but there was another murder last night that appeared just as baffling.

Somehow, Rudolph Lestrange had been murdered inside Malfoy Manor. Plans for bringing dementors from Europe and meeting points for recruiting overseas had been left of her desk, along with quite a bit of information that would see Malfoy Snr through the Veil. She had received confirmation that those plans had been foiled and she had no doubt the Manor held more secrets that Lucius could no longer hide.

 _One crime at a time._

With Hogwarts rather isolated, then it was likely the individual was still inside the school. The murder method suggested great knowledge of Potions, so it was almost certainly someone who was at least above Fifth Year. She really didn't think it was anyone younger.

Snape half sighed, half growled. "I returned to my quarters and began marking their Christmas homework. At seven, I met with the Headmaster and the Heads of Houses until ten. I marked until half ten and went to bed. I did not go anywhere until breakfast this morning."

So Snape did not have an alibi for the time of death. That was not surprising; 11.22pm is not a time many people would be together. It would be suspicious for some people to have alibis.

"What is your opinion of Dolores Umbridge?"

"Very unprofessional, delusional and a major irritant. That said, I did not hate her enough to kill her."

If it was a matter of hate, Amelia suspected Harry Potter would have been dead long before now.

However, Amelia didn't think this was a crime of hate. No magic was used and magic could make someone suffer. Poisoning seemed more professional; more detached. Normally the poison was placed and the killer waited somewhere else for it to take effect. That did not seem to be the case here.

Then again, they didn't know how long the killer waited for. The crime scene was clean; there was no sign of a struggle. Poison normally didn't, but what kind of poison was it?

"Professor Dumbledore implied you wished to talk to us."

"There is one thing that is irritating. A bottle of the Veritaserum in my stores in gone. It was present before I went to bed, but was gone by the time I woke up. Clearly some students decided to steal some. I would recommend you find it."

Amelia had a good idea what had happened to it. If the Veritaserum was from Snape's stores, he was a strong suspect but so were quite a few students. Potions ability may no longer be a requirement, so the suspect pool increased greatly.

 _Though we can count out a lot as they wouldn't have the courage to steal from Snape._

"Is there any way to alter the potion?" From her own studies, Amelia knew Veritaserum was very difficult to alter once completed. It was one of the most difficult potions to brew, but also one of the most difficult to change afterwards.

Snape hesitated as he considered. "The potion would need to be heated until bubbling and even then, only a select few ingredients could be added. Even so, that would alter the clear colour and only something similar to manticore venom would alter its properties."

Manticore venom was very expensive. It also caused bad luck and the crime scene showed no sign of that. She didn't see that on the list of ingredients. In fact, she hadn't seen anything on there that shouldn't be, save an 'unknown'.

If a magical ingredient wasn't responsible, was there something in the muggle world that could?

"What about chemicals in the muggle world?"

"It would have to be a poison or even animal venom. That is the only component that could be successfully added to a completed potion."

Animal venom. As disappointing as it was, that was rather easy to obtain and that wasn't including the animals that were pets. She had seen at least four snakes and she was sure two were poisonous. The Peruvian Vipertooth. Venomous Tentacular in the greenhouses.

 _Now I think on it, it is very easy to acquire a poison at Hogwarts._

"Would doxy venom be suitable?"

"Indeed it would."

Doxies lived in the Forbidden Forest. Any student had access to it.

Veritaserum was never brewed by students, but knowledge of it was needed for NEWT exams. Not many students sat them, but Amelia could find the list somewhere. It would be more effective than asking every single student where they were. She would need to check at the Ministry for those that were registered as most did not attend Snape's class.

Snape himself was still a very nice suspect.

/

Hogwarts security was an absolute sham. In fact, it was non-existent.

The teachers had been no help. None of them had alibis for the time period in question and they had no idea if a student left their bed. Prefects were more interested in catching kids in broom closets than those that were up to deadly deeds and all of them had retired by 10.30pm despite the fact they still had an hour. This was common knowledge, so the culprit could have used that to their benefit.

Moody was not impressed by Hogwarts at all. The end of last year was to be expected, but they had been at war for over half a year. Voldemort had already attacked Hogsmeade with zombies for Merlin's sake! Where was the security?

At least Umbridge was the only one killed. Whoever did this could easily have left traps all over the castle and they would never know. So far, Moody hadn't found any.

The portraits and ghosts were useless. These could have been prime scouts but there was no drive.

 _Safest place in Britain. Pull the other one._

Moody was leaning towards Snape. It was a poison made from a very advanced potion and there was a professionalism to it that suggested practice and patience. This wasn't done by an amateur. It would be easy enough to magically lock the door behind him, so Moody didn't really consider that a factor. It was only a contingency in case someone knocked on the door and wouldn't be suspicious they couldn't enter.

Motive was simple. It could be the blood quill. It could be the fact that the delusional woman was still reading from a bloody textbook despite the fact the Ministry had confirmed Voldemort was back. Her replacement would be much better. It wasn't like they could be worse.

Despite suspicions, there was no evidence to even hint at a culprit. The closest was Snape and even the Wizengamot wouldn't convict on something so flimsy. Even before the Black case.

If it was merely Umbridge's death, Moody wouldn't be bothered enough to investigate her murder. Everyone and their mother hated her; she got where she was by coercion and blackmail. However, the fact that this occurred at Hogwarts intrigued him.

 _Clean crime scene, no sightings, altered Veritaserum so probably has a counter-serum…This screams professional or very lucky._

In Moody's opinion, no student did this. Amelia had discussed this 'Remnant group' with him and they were warriors. Given what occurred in their world, Moody would be very surprised if this sort of murder had not happened before. They would be (at least the adults) experienced as professional killers; Remnant would not have human survivors otherwise without being practical.

 _Umbridge would be their type of target for assassination. Someone who was detrimental to the population's survival._

It was either one of them or a professor at Hogwarts.

Moody was still leaning towards Snape. How would people who had only been here less than two years be so good with such a complicated potion? Why choose this method of murder when they all had perfectly good weapons?

 _Alibis and passageways out of the castle. If this is contained in Hogwarts, we can rule many out._

Moody wasn't stupid. He was very doubtful they were going to find Umbridge's killer even with Veritaserum questioning. Very few, if any, would have alibis for 11.22pm and everyone had a motive.

All Moody needed to know was whether or not this person was going to attack again. They needed to beef up security at the very least. The ghosts and portraits would be very effective at this.

* * *

Qrow sighed as he hung up on Ozpin. He glanced at the figure fast asleep in one of the beds.

It was three days after Umbridge's and Lestrange's deaths and the Ministry had no evidence or suspect for either murder. They had no idea who was responsible or how the crimes were committed.

That didn't surprise Qrow. Mercury had been trained by an expert.

Qrow couldn't really blame him for killing Umbridge. Had he found out what she had done to Ruby, he would have killed her himself. No doubt about that. No one did something like _that_ to his family; they were going to die for it. Every time.

Especially as there was nothing the law could do to punish her.

 _That does assume that Dumbledore would get involved and allow the Ministry to look into it and since when has he cared about insane detentions? Nothing would have been done._

Mercury had gone to Malfoy Manor for a piece of evidence that Madam Bones would desperately need to counter one of Riddle's next plans. He had had a ten minute window, including getting out of Hogwarts, so he had had to make the decision fast and he didn't have time to ask for orders. With full aura, he could use the floo network and completely ignore the magical wards around the house.

Everyone except Rudolph Lestrange had been asleep. While Lestrange hadn't seen him before he killed him, Mercury didn't have time to waste being specific enough to knock him out and the man already had a death sentence. He was out of there before Riddle himself showed up.

When he got back as soon as possible after, he had immediately gone to Qrow and looked him in the eye.

 ** _"I just killed Dolores Umbridge and Rudolph Lestrange. Am I going to be executed now or when we get back to Remnant?"_**

Of all his actions that night, the resignation in those words disappointed Qrow the most.

Qrow had sat him down and told him to walk him through it. So Mercury did. He did not defend his actions. He did not give any excuses. He was willing to accept the consequences.

Mercury had received a letter from Zephyr about what happened to Ruby. Having had to study the laws in one of his essays for knifing Malfoy, Mercury knew there was nothing the law could do and that they couldn't even get involved unless Dumbledore allowed it and he allowed insane detentions. So he dealt with the problem himself before Yang or Emerald found out. Then he told them through his winged fox aura animal.

He met with Zephyr at the Astronomy Tower (the rest for Qrow to think about another time) and he learnt about the plans in Malfoy Manor for recruitment overseas along with portkeys that intended to be used to get close to Hogwarts and items that were excellent for stealth missions. Riddle had left for half an hour and was expected back very soon. Mercury took advantage of that, destroyed many of the items which were apparently planned for an infiltration of Hogwarts and sent the reports to Madam Bones via Winky. Rudolph Lestrange was unfortunate enough to be awake when Mercury arrived.

From a practical point of view: perfectly justified. From a Remnant point of view: an understandable then necessary action. From a moral point of view: wrong. From a legal point of view: wrong.

Mercury left out all long term results, but he did say he was aware of them.

Now he was convinced he was going to be executed for his crimes.

Crimes that Qrow would have committed if he had been in Mercury's position.

 _I'm not giving up on you, Silvertongue. Especially not over this._

Qrow had initially picked America specifically because there were no dementors. This was the final test for this 'good luck charm' and ironically, Mercury would be safer with Qrow's bad luck here than on Remnant. The fact that the events leading to him losing his eye were so specific made it remarkably unlikely they would be repeated. That was part of the reason Qrow was certain his Semblance was to blame. Remove dementors from the equation and Mercury could adapt.

After Mercury told him what he had done, Qrow wanted him as far away from that magical society as possible. It hadn't taken any thought at all to continue with their plans. They really needed a break from that nightmare. With Umbridge dead, the girls would physically be fine and this wasn't something to be explained over the phone. Allow tempers to calm so there wouldn't be a repeat of what happened soon after Mercury and Emerald were brought home for the first time.

Mercury had been very confused when Qrow told him they were still going.

He had been even more confused when Qrow had told him he had no interest in letting Mercury die for this.

 _Actions have consequences. But execution is not happening. Not over this; a war he should never have been anywhere near. Not over a woman who should never have been anywhere near children. Not over a wild animal. Not for behaving as a human and then a Huntsman._

Qrow rubbed his eyes and sat on the unoccupied bed nearby.

 _What now? Umbridge died for a human reason and he didn't have time to stun Lestrange. He was going through this Death Veil if he got caught anyway. He didn't kill Lucius Malfoy despite the fact he did have time to and he was an easy target. I probably would have._

Mercury was sleeping. Qrow's hand reached out and brushed a tear away. Yet there was a slight smile on Mercury's face.

 _What are you dreaming about?_

Qrow could guess that aura reading Mercury when he was dreaming was a very dangerous thing to do. He didn't thrash when he had nightmares; there was very little change in his position and no noise. That one time Qrow checked in on them in Patch, he thought he could sense stress, but it was only Emerald's intervention that convinced him of what he was seeing. He hadn't told them he had seen it.

In comparison, this didn't seem like a nightmare.

After a moment to think on it more, along with no more tears, Qrow gently rested his hand on Mercury's shoulder and focused. Images and voices came. As a dream, they were fragmented.

[ _Laughter._

 _"Yang! Give it back!" Ruby chased after Yang, who had 'borrowed' the sniper scope for Crescent Rose when she had taken it apart to clean it._

 _"Gotta catch me first!" Yang sang, running into the front room where Emerald was watching television with Tai and Mercury was doing push ups. Qrow was in the kitchen._

 _Yang ran around the couch. Ruby jumped on the back of it and leapt at her sister. The two crashed to the ground, near where Mercury had rolled out of the way. Yang, still laughing, threw the scope to Zwei, who caught it and took off._

 _"Zwei!"_

 _Mercury was chuckling. "Try under Qrow's bed." It was one of Zwei's favourite hiding spots._

 _Ruby smiled at him. "Thanks." She dashed after that dog._

 _Emerald was smiling. She had a playful glint in her eyes._

 _"What did you do?" Qrow asked, obviously having seen it for himself._

 _"Ruby might have seen Zwei run left when he went right."_

 _Yang laughed. "No more hints Merc. Don't make it too easy."_

 _Mercury scoffed. This house was full of crazies._ ]

These weren't just dreams. They were memories.

Mercury didn't regret killing his victims that night. He regretted letting his family down. Now he thought he had very limited time left with them.

Qrow leaned back and sighed. How were the girls really handling it?

* * *

Ruby felt guilty. Emerald was resigned. Yang was furious but not at entirely at Mercury.

All three had argued for him. Learning that he had killed a second time that night didn't sway their opinion. All Professor Goodwitch could say was that everything would be considered. They didn't like that and immediately chose to return to the house. Being anywhere near this magical world was poison. That was done.

Professor Ozpin said the same thing: everything would be carefully considered before moving forward.

Emerald really wasn't happy. When she found out about Ruby's detention (despite her attempts to brush it off), she had been planning a way to kill Umbridge herself. It would be remarkably easy. The arrival of that fox aura animal that they could talk to made her hesitate. Just as well: Mercury had already done the job, even if she wasn't sure how he found out or got into the school. She didn't really care about that part.

Her own scars were bad enough. Forcing Ruby to do it to herself was sick, twisted and unforgivable.

Rudolph Lestrange wasn't worth considering. He already had a well-earned death sentence.

Emerald was well aware she was being a little hypocritical. Still, they had always been aware that attempted murder would result in them getting thrown in prison at best. These people thought they had every right to do whatever the hell they wanted and their victim always deserved it for merely being born different. Emerald had not had that viewpoint.

The Fall Maiden had been oddly quiet. That was not reassuring.

Ruby had gotten quite a lecture from Yang and Emerald. The moment she noticed what the quill was doing, she should have left and damn their original agreement. Her health was more important than anything. Emerald expected she was going to get a lecture from Qrow for that stupidity as well. Just because someone has authority to punish you did not give them the right to hurt you.

Ruby argued that, as they were in their world, they played by their rules. Emerald angrily responded that it was probably these insane rules that had dragged them here in the first place. Ruby did not have a response to that.

Ruby still blamed herself for Mercury's actions, which they were worried would result in them never seeing him again or, if they did, not for long.

Emerald didn't blame Ruby for that. Yang didn't either.

Emerald was actually struggling to blame Mercury. She was just very angry that he had put himself at risk like that. Qrow would have done the same thing and no one would really care.

 _Still, if Qrow still took him to America…then maybe…_

The swish of Ruby's scythe was the only sound. Emerald and Yang were both sitting nearby. While Yang was watching Ruby practice, Emerald's eyes were closed. She was trying to relax. The rain helped with that.

You couldn't fight a war without killing. If this happened on Remnant, it wouldn't even be an issue. It wasn't as if Mercury and Emerald were going to get a trial before that threat was eliminated. But because these people were so sick and incompetent, the law protected monsters.

 _Nothing against Madam Bones, but she can only do so much with the current laws._

Swish. Swish. Whoosh, swish.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Yang's arm wrapped around her shoulders. Emerald leaned into it, glad for the comfort. Yang didn't say anything. There was nothing she really could say. While she was aware of the shaky ground Emerald and Mercury had always been on since they were adopted, only now did it feel real.

The most frustrating thing was that Mercury hadn't done this as Marcus Black's son. He had done this for his new family.

That hurt the most.

* * *

One week after Umbridge's and Lestrange's death, Amelia had been sent a request by Professor Ozpin for a chat and that it concerned the murders. Although she was busy, past experience told her it was a wise idea. She chose to ask if Moody and Sirius Black could attend and he was agreeable.

Amber and Professor Ozpin were waiting patiently when the three arrived. Sirius and Amelia took a seat while Moody stayed near the door.

"First, can I confirm this conversation is off the record?" Amelia asked. She knew what the answer would be, but she needed to ask.

"Of course," Professor Ozpin nodded. "What is the official stance on the murders?"

Moody scoffed. "Non-existent. Whoever did either was a professional. Most likely suspect for Umbridge is Snape, but nothing to really link him save the murder method and that could be metaphorical. Lestrange's death has other Death Eaters, possibly one with a change of heart and was killed afterwards."

Amelia asked the question. "Do you have any ideas that would aid our inquiries?"

Professor Ozpin sighed. "A confession to both by the same person."

She had not expected that. At no point had it occurred to Amelia that the same person was responsible for both crimes, mainly because she thought it was impossible. "Who might that person be?"

"Mercury Black."

That was a student. A student that was not at Hogwarts.

"Mercury Black? That the one that has metal legs?"

In unison, Sirius and Amelia turned to look back at Moody. His false eye was constantly moving, but it was staying on either Amber or Ozpin.

 _Metal legs? How does he fight the way he does with them? To get used to a replacement limb to that degree, it must have happened some time ago._

"That would be him," Professor Ozpin confirmed. "How long were you awake in the Hospital Wing that night?"

Amelia assumed that was the night of the Third Task. That seemed like a lifetime ago. In a way, it was.

"Long enough to know that particular one is a battle hardened warrior. Most of the others are still kids. I have wondered. Why is he attending your school when he is already a veteran of war?"

Amber folded her arms slowly, but not because she was firm or angry. She seemed contemplative.

Professor Ozpin also hesitated. "Simply put, to learn social skills. He was very isolated before he became known to us and his interaction with sane people was extremely limited, if it happened at all. Before we came here, school was going well for him."

It would seem like they had a pet project of their own. The word 'sane' bothered her, but it was not her concern for the moment. However, it did explain why they were so eager to pull him from Hogwarts.

"When Mercury confessed to these murders, what details did he give?" If it was Mercury, then the papers that had been dropped on her desk were probably delivered by an elf. He certainly had access to one. However, save for Moody, no one should know she now had those papers or their contents.

"His motive for murdering Umbridge was that she used a blood quill on Ruby. As for Lestrange, he had a job to do in Malfoy Manor and he was unfortunate enough to come across him."

That sounded likely so far. "I would like to talk to him myself."

Sirius frowned. "Did he tell you this before or after he left for America?"

 _America?_

"Before. As soon as he got back from Malfoy Manor, in fact."

That meant that they had been sitting on this for a week. And then let him go. "Why have you not mentioned this sooner?"

For once, Amber spoke. "Without his confession, you cannot convict him. We wanted to know if there was any evidence you could find to tie him to the crime without bias. It would seem not."

 _As much as I hate to say it, she's not wrong. After the Black case, hearsay is not allowed no matter who is talking without evidence. That is the way it should be, but this is just infuriating._

"Convict him?" Moody scoffed in disbelief. "That Black found a way into Hogwarts this Black doesn't know and managed to get in and out of Malfoy Manor without disturbing the wards. We are at war. He is an asset, not a liability."

Amber leaned back in her chair. "You want to use him as a weapon?"

"What I'm saying is that I don't want him in Azkaban. We can be picky after the war is over."

"He has already destroyed the dementors that left there," Sirius pointed out.

"That was him?"

Amelia rubbed her temples. She did not want to have this discussion now. "Back on topic. I find it hard to believe that he went from here to Hogwarts to Malfoy Manor and back to here in one night without anyone noticing. How did he say he did it?"

Professor Ozpin smiled slightly as he shook his head. Amelia could tell he was impressed.

"Madam Bones, are you familiar with the Room of Requirement?"

"Never heard of it."

"It is on the seventh floor. If you pace in front of a tapestry three times while thinking about what you want, the Room will provide. Winky asked for a room connected to Hogsmeade. As I understand it, the passageway was connected to the Hog's Head pub. It is simple enough to floo from here to Hogsmeade."

Moody barked out a laugh. "He's smart and creative, I'll say that." At this rate, Moody was going to ask to recruit him.

"And how did he commit the murder?" She could see how that was technically possible, if this Room existed. She was not yet convinced he was responsible even if he had apparently confessed. He wasn't there to tell her himself, much to her annoyance.

"While he won't say exactly which Hogwarts elf was responsible, he asked one to take Veritaserum from Severus Snape's stores for use on Dolores Umbridge. The elf did so. He altered it in the Room of Requirement. He spoke with Umbridge before slipping the doxy venomed Veritaserum into her drink. She never noticed and was dead in five minutes. Only after the deed did he leave the office."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And how did he get a Hogwarts elf to steal from a professor?" By the sound of it, Sirius had tried that in the past.

"I might be wrong, but my understanding is that Snape and Umbridge are not considered professors by the Hogwarts elves. I can only guess that they broke the school charter at some point."

Amelia narrowed her eyes. That would suggest either physical (blood quill), mental (Snape lessons) or emotional abuse was against the Hogwarts Charter. Given what accidental magic could do, that is to be expected. Why then had Dumbledore not replaced some of the staff?

The fact that the murder method was an altered Veritaserum potion was known by very few. That there was doxy venom within had only been known for two days; not even Snape knew that detail despite her questioning him.

So far, this checked out.

"And Lestrange?"

"Mercury left Hogwarts the same way he went in and merely flooed to Malfoy Manor. Lestrange happened to catch him on his way out. It is very easy for one of us to accidentally kill someone with no aura, so it is even easier when that person knows what they are doing and Mercury is a close combat fighter."

Amelia now recalled Professor Ozpin once saying that a punch from them could have killed Draco Malfoy. She had been partly convinced that had been an exaggeration. She had a few more questions about them, though it would be easier if Sirius could answer them at another time.

Moody interrupted there. "That Manor has some of the most dangerous wards in the country. How did he get by them? Does he have your magic too?"

"No. Our aura is a good defence against your magic. It has its restrictions and we each have different levels but while we have it, we can resist your magic. Not indefinitely and some effects can still be felt. At full aura, Mercury has so much that 'resistance' is almost synonymous with 'immune'. There are ways around that, but they are very few."

Sirius snapped his fingers. "Wards don't register him at all, do they? That's why he doesn't appear on the Marauder's Map."

Amelia recalled Sirius explaining the Marauder's Map to her. That was circumstantial evidence that there was no one in Hogwarts that shouldn't be when they began their interrogations.

"Unless he pulls his aura in and lowers his shield, then no. Timing was crucial; the evidence he was looking for wouldn't be there long."

Amelia was convinced: Mercury was at least involved. However, that led to a very irritating problem.

"If you knew that he was the murderer, then why did you let him leave for America?"

Amber answered that. "Qrow wanted to get him away from the magical society. While they do intend to meet with the American one, Qrow wanted him to spend some time away from this war. Hogwarts has given him many steps back from his progress at Beacon."

 _So his behaviour there is not the same as his behaviour here._

"So where does this leave us?"

"Where we began. Unless you find evidence to support this, it is merely a tale from a teenager. You cannot convict on that."

There was something Amelia was missing here. "This is more complicated than it looks, isn't it?"

Professor Ozpin sighed. "It is. What he did was morally and legally wrong. There is no denying that. However, his explained motives are less so. He did the same thing his adopted father would have done. That he did not kill everyone in Malfoy Manor is a mark in his favour."

"Would have saved us trouble," Moody noted. "But after what he did for us, I think I can let that slide. Don't suppose he's up for adoption?"

Amelia groaned. One Mad-eye was bad enough. He did not need an apprentice that could walk through wards and walls.

Amber smiled softly. "Qrow isn't giving him up. Neither are the girls."

Sirius chuckled quietly. "I imagine they've been making their opinions known."

"Quite clear," Professor Ozpin agreed.

Amelia now had a problem. Those in Hogwarts weren't too bothered about this particular murderer being caught and only wanted reassurance they wouldn't kill again. Umbridge was _that_ unpopular. No one was going to care about Rudolph Lestrange's death other than the Death Eaters, which she could live with.

Legally, Mercury was a muggle and would be tried by their laws. Rather difficult as his victims did not exist, but they had no authority over him and, upon reflection, no prison they had could hold him if he didn't want it to.

The question Amelia kept coming back to was simple: could she sit back and let them deal with Mercury?

If Umbridge was willing to use blood quills on children, then she was not suited for the Ministry after this civil war was over. Aunt Amelia was very happy she was no longer a threat to the children. Also, despite the Ministry's stance on Riddle's return, she was still having the students read from that awful book. That could get them all killed. Rudolph Lestrange was already marked for death and had been convicted of crimes before. Amelia wouldn't be losing sleep over either of them.

It was clear to Amelia that Professor Ozpin was unsure how to handle this. There were probably many factors to this situation that he had yet to tell her.

For now, Amelia was going to investigate the crime scene one more time herself while her Aurors focused on stopping Riddle's plans. If she still couldn't find anything, she would have no choice but to let him go.

 _These people are proving very troublesome._

Moody was right. After the war, they could be as picky as they wanted. At the moment, it was a massive fight to prevent the Ministry from collapsing.

* * *

"You are rather predictable."

"In this case, what did you expect? You wouldn't have sent me the letter otherwise."

"She did have it coming."

"Everyone has standards, I suppose. …So how long have you been working for Cinder?"

"What makes you think I do?"

"You didn't ask who Cinder was just now."

"…Fair point. How did you know before?"

"Educated guess. Your letter mentioned something you couldn't know. It was a pretty big slip though so I wasn't sure."

"What…Oh. That. How did I forget that? Meh, doesn't matter. Three months before Beacon. My job's done now though, so I don't have a reason to stick around."

"So why did you?"

"…"

"You made the mistake, didn't you?"

"It's not as easy as it looks. You're hardly one to talk. You're so far past the line you may as well be in a different continent."

"I will be in a few hours."

"Very funny. But not yet. And we need to talk before that."

"What exactly would you like to talk about?"

"What? No questions?"

"Of course I have questions. I'm just very doubtful you would answer them. You wanted me up here for a reason and somehow, I don't think it's to kill me."

"Would you have believed me if I said I did last year?"

"Maybe."

"Apologies for the Tri-Wizard Tournament by the way. In my defence, I never thought your name would actually come out."

"That was you? Not bad. Who'd you get to write my name? And while you brought it up: why?"

"Let's just say that Draco should not leave his rather entertaining and rather childish lists lying around and I traced 'Black' out of a textbook. As for why, it was nothing personal."

"Then why not put in your own name?"

"…Okay it may have been a little personal. Does the name Solgale mean anything to you?"

"Vaguely. All I know is that Darren Solgale was a mob boss up in Atlas some years ago. Went out of business for some reason and it wasn't because the police caught up with them."

"Try Marcus Black. He killed Darren and his three kids. His wife wasn't there that day and, for the record, she was just as in control of the mob as he was."

"This knife then."

"Yes. That knife."

"So who are you? A fourth kid?"

"The eldest of the three. I've looked like this for the past…let's just say a little over ten years. Not bother with this whole dimension thing. My mother stole one of those aura transfer machines and somehow put me in this body. I think she fibbed a bit on whether I actually died before or not."

"Atlas have that technology?"

"Oh yeah. It wasn't too personal. I just wanted to know if I got past the Age Line. Apparently it registers the age of our aura and not the body. Don't get me wrong, I was just as surprised as the others when your name came out."

"…Are you the reason Ginger had this knife?"

"Okay, I will say it now: that was a gift to make sure she never came anywhere near me. She's just crazy."

"Fair enough."

"Might want to be careful. This time, she wants a long term pet and she's a lot more playful."

"I think I'll pass."

"Wise choice…Mind passing on that Adam now wants to kill Blake and will if he comes across her again?"

"Will do. Any reason for this little chat or did you just fancy the view?"

"…Blake. Nora. Ren. That's three pieces of information. One: I was not the only mole at Beacon now, but I was at the beginning of the year. Two: the only other ones claim to come from the school they pick for a _very_ good reason and it is only one team. Three: they are very interested in stories and technology that doesn't exist."

"…Doing well until that last one."

"Got to keep you guessing."

"Why bother? What changed?"

"…I hated Marcus Black. The main reason I got involved was revenge for my siblings. My father got himself and us into that mess so he can rot for all I care. A good part of me knew you weren't Marcus, but I didn't listen to it before I got here. Now though, I would say you were his biggest victim."

"Thanks a lot."

"You asked. My mother won't agree though. She'll still target you."

"What fun. Should I get a bulls-eye jacket?"

"And spoil the chase? Nah. I'm not going to help you any more than that, but I'm not going to help Cinder anymore either. Do me a favour and pass on my withdrawal from Beacon to Ozpin, would you?"

"Given reason?"

"'Made the mistake'. Let him take it however he wants."

"When did I suddenly become a messenger boy?"

"Well, there is one other thing and it has nothing to do with Remnant. Cinder's source has said there's going to be important information and items in Malfoy Manor tonight. There's only going to be a very brief window to grab it, but it is definitely worth the risk."

"Nice and vague. When's the window?"

"In about…ten minutes."

"You could have opened with that."

"I could have."

"Please don't tell me her source is Narcissa Malfoy."

"It is, so you had better start playing nice with her son."

"Spoilsport. Her son is the definition of 'too dumb to live'. Fine. It's not like he can hurt me. Why doesn't Cinder go?"

"There were rumours about setting a trap in Diagon Alley. She's otherwise occupied."

"That would be a fair enough reason. You do realise you might wake up in your dorm room when we get back to Remnant?"

"If I do, I'll manage."

"I don't doubt it."


	19. Steps Down the Long Road

**In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

While Yang knew she was needed at the house, she wanted to check up on Blake, Nora and Ren. Zephyr had been a very good friend to them, but he had been their leader. Learning that he had been working for someone that planned to destroy Beacon would be very hard to take.

When Yang returned to Hogwarts, she learnt from Ginny that Ren and Nora were off somewhere with Fred and George. Knowing she would never find them without Harry's Map, she headed to their dorm, vowing to check up on them later. Blake hadn't been seen since and Yang thought that she shouldn't be alone.

Blake was sitting the room that her team had been sharing since Zephyr left. At a glance, Yang could tell she was tired and Professor Goodwitch had told her she wasn't eating well. Blake's legs were drawn up and she rested her head on her knees.

Yang sat next to her, waiting. If Blake wanted to talk about it, she would listen. If Blake didn't, then she wouldn't push the topic but would still make sure she took care of herself.

For a long time, she was quiet.

"…Did you know?"

"About Zephyr? No."

"First Adam. Now Zephyr." Again Blake was quiet. "It's just…Everything was a lie."

"Not everything. I think Zephyr did care about you and, in a way, he still does. He just felt he couldn't stay."

"He _betrayed_ us Yang. That's all I need to know. He never cared about us. Let him rot."

Yang could see that Blake didn't mean that. Not fully. She was just upset and angry. That Adam had changed from the person she knew and now realising that Zephyr had never been the person she thought he was…

"We all trusted him Blake. You're not alone."

"Maybe I should be. Being alone is easier."

Yang wouldn't know. She had never been alone. "Is it happier?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I've never been alone Blake. I've been luckier than you." It was luck how people grew up. Yang had been born into a family that, while still Huntsmen and Huntress, put their family first. Emerald had somehow wound up on the streets for some reason even she didn't know. The difference between them was luck. "So I need you to tell the truth, even if it is to yourself. Even if you lie to me now."

Blake didn't answer. She just stayed still, not meeting Yang's eyes.

"Are you going to leave Beacon too?" Yang asked. She had just lost one friend and had a good chance of losing her little brother. She didn't want to lose Blake too.

"I…I don't know. I just…"

"It's not easy." Yang did know how it felt to think someone was one thing and they turned out to be something else, even before Zephyr. If he was telling the truth, then there was still a team that were false friends.

 _Still…Zephyr…_

Zephyr had laughed with them. He had sparred with them; played countless games and prank wars; fought in that Food Fight; had been there to talk to. Zephyr had been a very good friend.

"I trust my family," Yang started after a moment. "I trust you. I trust Ren and Nora. I trust Jaune and Pyrrha. I trust Melody and Weiss. Zephyr let us down. They _won't_."

"You don't know that Yang. You can't know that."

"Then that's their choice and they haven't done anything to tell me not to trust them. Zephyr is not going to ruin my friendship with them."

Blake didn't answer for a long while. All she asked was if Yang wanted to go for lunch in the kitchens.

* * *

It was easy enough to get back into Hogwarts without the students being suspicious. The official story was that Umbridge's murderer had left the country and had made an oath to never willingly return.

Sirius chuckled a little. It wasn't even a lie. There was no way that family would willingly return to the British magical world unless it was meeting with their friends and nothing else.

However, the incident did give Sirius a starting point with the horcrux in Hogwarts. The Room of Requirement was known to very few. It was perfectly possible that Riddle had found it and he certainly wouldn't tell anyone else about it.

It wasn't a surprise that the door didn't appear when Sirius requested the Room with Riddle's horcrux in it. He did get somewhere with 'the Room where things are hidden'.

He had been expecting it, but Sirius still wasn't ready to see the mass of objects of all sizes in the room.

 _This is going to take quite a while._

How was he supposed to find a horcrux in this? He didn't know what he was looking for; that was the point. He was hoping this horcrux would give him clues as to what the others would be.

 _This is going to take a while so I had better get started._

"Kreacher."

The elf popped in. "Yes Master?"

There had certainly been a difference in Kreacher after that locket was destroyed. Sirius would never like the elf, but he was far more tolerable. Even so, he would only speak to him if he had a need. The elf appeared to be in agreement.

"Kreacher, do you remember what the feel of the odd magical signature in the locket?" The elf growled, but nodded. "I think there is an object with a similar feeling in this room. You are going to help me look for it and you are not to tell anyone."

"Yes Master." Kreacher was very agreeable. More importantly, he knew the 'feel' of a Riddle horcrux.

"Good. Start in one of the back corners."

The elf vanished.

Before Sirius could say anything else, Winky popped in. "Sir says no answer. Sir Qrow say not to contact them as they is angry."

Sirius sighed. So there was no answer to the horcrux problem in America that they had found. It was a long shot, but it was still very disappointing. Maybe he should speak to Bill Weasley about this. It is possible the Curse Breaker has knowledge of horcruxes, though he probably had no idea how to get one out of a living person.

 _Won't know until I ask. Come to think of it…_

"Are you busy at the moment Winky?" Probably, but the sooner this room was cleared, the better.

"Winky has no direct orders now. Winky can help."

"When Mercury was injured, did you notice a second…signature? A magical one rather than his odd one?"

"Winky did."

If Winky could sense it, then perhaps… "One minute Winky. Dobby." The elf popped in, but Sirius spoke before he could. "Dobby, do you remember that diary?" Enthusiastic nodding. "Did you ever sense the magical signature of it?" More enthusiastic nodding. "I'm looking for an item with that signature in this room. Will you help Dobby?"

"More evil things like bad Master? Dobby will help." The elf popped away.

Sirius turned back to the waiting elf. "Will you help as well Winky?"

"Bad magic hurt Sir. Winky will help until Winky is called." Winky popped away.

While Sirius was greatly interested in finding the horcrux, he decided to let the elves deal with that for now while he had a look around. This room was available to students and Sirius intended to make sure there was nothing too dangerous in here.

Sirius had started early, arriving at the Room at 7am. He thought that few knew about this and he knew that it was in use for one hour a day for class but when he asked Harry had told him he wasn't tutoring today, so he only needed to vacate for an hour.

After learning about the Room, Moody had suggested putting alert wards around the Room to catch anyone entering that way, along with the others, and also to check if there were objects there that shouldn't be. Madam Bones agreed with that and ordered Sirius to. The horcrux searching was a bonus.

There was mostly furniture and books in the Room. As these objects were not conjured by the Room and were placed there, the objects could be taken out of the Room. Some of the objects that were destroyed had been planned for an infiltration of Hogwarts. Sirius did not want to find some of those things here.

 _Nothing so far…_

By lunchtime, the only odd thing Sirius had seen was some sort of broken cupboard or cabinet. Unlike everything else, this had runes engraved into it. Save for making a mental note to mention it to Moody who was experienced with a lot of magical objects, he left it be.

From one point of view, before you begin, the odds of finding something in the first place you planned to look is the same as the last place you planned to look.

It was half past three when Kreacher and Dobby appeared. The contrast at the bouncing elf and the scowling elf was mind boggling.

"Master." Kreacher pointed at the box in Dobby's hand. "Like Master Regulus Locket."

Sirius honestly never expected to see it so soon. He was expecting it to take days, if not weeks. He wasn't going to question it though. The elves may not know a way to destroy a horcrux, but Sirius was sure they could identify one if they had seen one before.

"Thank you." Sirius picked up the box from Dobby's offering fingers. He didn't dare open it alone, not even with two elves around. He and Kreacher were more tolerant of each other, but Sirius did not trust the elf that much. "You may return to your duties you were performing before, but do not tell anyone of this." Kreacher disappeared, with Dobby doing so a second after. "Winky."

Winky responded. "Yes?"

"The object has been found. Thank you for your help." Sirius' free hand went into his pocket, pulling out a different object. "Could you give this mirror to one of your family? It will allow them to communicate with myself, Harry or one of their own still here."

"If Sir wishes to keep it."

This was one loyal elf. "Exactly. Thank you Winky."

It had been Peter's mirror sitting on the side that had made Sirius suspect something was wrong that night. He had only remembered it recently and had thought Ruby or Yang would want it to talk with her friends. The three girls had headed to America to join Qrow and Mercury. He had kept his own and given James' to Harry. Remus had been willing to give his to the students as well.

That seemed odd to Sirius as it was a way to talk to Harry, but Remus said it was fine. If Harry had a problem, he would go to Sirius first.

Sirius hadn't given the mirror to the students yet. With a Tempus charm, he realised it was only another twenty minutes before their lesson. It would be simplest to give them it then.

The next fifteen minutes of searching led to nothing important that Sirius could recognise, save one Dark Arts books that must have come from an old family's library. Sirius took it and ordered Kreacher to keep it locked up with the rest of the books in Grimmauld Place. He would have a proper look at it later.

Harry had said that the Combat Class in Hogwarts was often different than their sparring sessions in their house. When Sirius saw what the three were fighting, he was very grateful that their two worlds were not connected. Riddle would be the least of their worries if one of their monsters came through, even if it was one of the more common ones.

These Beowolves reminded Sirius greatly of Moony. It was easily just as dangerous, probably even more so. He never wanted to meet any of the real creatures the Room of Requirement was currently mimicking.

He also never wanted to fight one of these people when they were in an angry mood. Qrow and his family leaving had been just as good for the Wizarding World as it had been for them, even if that wasn't their concern.

Ren, Nora and Blake left together. They were quieter than Sirius had seen them, even Ren. He wondered exactly what happened to Zephyr, as he seemed to have vanished the day after Umbridge died. They had merely said he was no threat to the Wizarding World and nothing else.

Sirius was curious, but it probably wasn't best to press for answers from these people when nearly all of them were in a bad mood and had little training in restraining their power compared to developing it. Sirius was brave; he wasn't suicidal.

He might be feeling homicidal if his chat with Dumbledore went wrong. So he decided to ask Glynda if she didn't mind coming along. She agreed and also promised to give the mirror to Blake later.

As it happened, Glynda knew the password for the Headmaster's Office. Sirius would have just stood around guessing sweets otherwise.

"Ah. Auror Black and Professor Goodwitch." Dumbledore Conjured another chair, which Sirius nodded a thanks to. "What can I help you with?"

Sirius Levitated the box onto the desk, deciding not to touch the thing inside. "I'm sure that this is one of the things we are looking for. What can you tell us about it?"

Dumbledore also didn't touch it as he examined it. "I am fairly sure, although I would need to speak to a certain person first, that this is the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Are you sure it is one?"

"Yes. Kreacher might not have been able to destroy the last one, but I'm sure he knows its magical signature well from the amount of time he spent guarding it."

"True. House elves are remarkably resourceful." Dumbledore continued to investigate it.

Glynda studied the horcrux with a glare. "Ravenclaw's diadem and Slytherin's locket. Could any other Founder's belongings be horcruxes?"

"It is possible. However, I know of one artefact that it is not and will be of great use now. We owe a debt of gratitude to Harry."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. He managed to catch the growl before anyone heard it, but Dumbledore gesturing to the Sword of Gryffindor made Sirius furious all over again. Why leave a school open when something was Petrifying students and could affect a ghost?

A twelve year old boy against a thousand year Basilisk.

"How is that sword unique?" Glynda asked. Sirius couldn't speak for a few seconds.

"The Sword of Gryffindor was forged by goblins. Many of their high quality blades are forged by metals that can absorb that which makes it stronger. In this case, Basilisk venom."

Basilisk venom was a known horcrux killer.

"Well then…" Sirius stood up and took the sword of the wall. "Let's deal with this one before it does any harm."

Glynda put her hand up and Sirius stopped immediately. "Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to use this horcrux to track the others?"

Dumbledore frowned as he considered. "I do not believe so. Even if there is, we would need to discover it ourselves. Multiple horcruxes are unheard of."

She lowered her hand. "Disappointing, but not a surprise."

Sirius wasn't angry she stopped him; it was a valid question and could have made the search much easier. The Black Family Library had the same results. They were doing it the hard way.

Bringing the sword down was easy for a full grown man. Sirius couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be a twelve year old Harry that night, against a sixty foot long Basilisk.

A black cloud erupted from the destroyed artefact. Dumbledore encased it in a bubble with a wave of his wand. After three seconds it faded, leaving no trace.

"Ravenclaw's diadem," Sirius spoke with a flat tone as he put the sword back on the wall, where he felt it didn't belong. "Slytherin's locket." He sat back down on the chair, feeling drained. "That leaves Hufflepuff and Gryffindor."

"I am aware of Gryffindor's gauntlets. I have also heard stories of a goblet of sort owned by Helga Hufflepuff that was said to make any potion drank from it more potent. I will see what else I can track down." Dumbledore smiled. "I am sure there are resources in Hogwarts itself that will help."

Diary. Locket. Diadem. Nagini. Four down. One in Harry. There was only one or two more unknowns.

 _Look out 'Voldemort'. Death is coming for you._

"I have a question, Albus." Glynda's fingers ran down the whip. "What was your plan for dealing with the one in Harry?"

"That-"

"Answer the question Dumbledore," Sirius interrupted. "I promise I won't get too mad." On second thought… "I promise not to get violent at least."

Sirius needed this answer. Harry didn't plan on returning to the Wizarding World very much after his OWLs and definitely not back to Hogwarts. So, hopefully, he shouldn't play any more part in the war.

 _Prophecies are too vague to be taken seriously and, if Fate is that determined, it will come true anyway._

Dumbledore was quiet for a few seconds. When it was obvious they weren't backing down, he sighed.

"I had hoped to find a way as time passed. Sadly, I have not. The only way I know is a Killing Curse from Voldemort himself." Seeing Sirius' clenched fist and possibly guessing how much effort it was taking Sirius to stop himself from attacking him, Dumbledore pressed on. "However, as Voldemort took blood from Harry himself during his resurrection, I believe Harry will have a link for life."

Sirius swallowed back his yelling. Glynda's eyes had narrowed and her tone was flat. It was the words that calmed Sirius as he gave him something to think on.

"Why would Riddle use a Killing Curse on Harry after it has already proven to be ineffective? Wouldn't he try something different, like a Bone-Breaking Curse to the head? That would kill Harry, but not deal with the horcrux."

That also required Harry to meet Riddle. Sirius had no intention of letting that happen.

"He is very set in his ways. I am sure he would choose to use a Killing Curse. He did so in the graveyard."

Sirius couldn't stay quiet. "So…what then? You expect Harry to just walk up to Riddle and say 'please fire a Killing Curse at me'? No chance in hell! Why not just drip a few drops of Basilisk venom straight into the scar? Wouldn't that be an equally stupid thing to do?"

Dumbledore sighed. "As I said Sirius, I am searching for another way. Currently, I have not found one. I can only hope Qrow will."

 _He didn't._

"…Did you know how the Dursleys would treat Harry when you left him there all those years ago?" Glynda asked. There was a furious glint in her eye.

"…I did not. While I expected that they would not treat him as their own, I thought he would be unloved, not abused."

"In your world Dumbledore, what is the difference?"

Both men had caught that something had changed. Glynda sounded like she was suppressing fury, but her tone was flat and so was her expression.

"The blood wards were necessary and they still are."

Before Sirius could retort, Glynda spoke one word.

"Obscurus."

Dumbledore paled.

 _No way. No way would Harry-_

"The Dursleys do not tolerate magic. He was punished for showing accidental magic. The sole reason that he is not an Obscurus is because he didn't realise he was _causing_ the incidents and not merely very unlucky. What would you have done then?"

Dumbledore said nothing.

Sirius said nothing.

"The Harry Potter I met certainly would have walked in front of a Killing Curse. What Hermione calls a 'hero complex' could be seen as 'no sense of self-worth'. Neglect is a form of abuse Albus. Abuse can have very detrimental effects on a child." Glynda stood up, gesturing for Sirius to do the same. "I think you genuinely don't know that or you would have stepped in with Snape years ago. Emotional and verbal abuse is just as harmful to a child as physical abuse is. Accidental magic caused by abuse is dangerous to everyone, but mostly to the child themselves."

Glynda nodded and left. Sirius knew she had requested him to follow her and he knew he would attack Dumbledore any minute, so he left also.

"Stupid-"

"Sirius. Children were treated differently in his time. They were to be grateful for having a roof over their head and food in their stomachs. He genuinely doesn't understand as he rarely sees the children outside of meals. He does not teach them anymore and hasn't for quite some time. Remember his attitude towards the bullying. That would have been normal for him when he was growing up."

"That's no excuse. Once Harry was taken away from me, Dumbledore should have checked in on him." Sirius did not want to get into the bullying. In hindsight, he should have been in detention much more often than he was. His tricking Snape should have gotten them both expelled; him for telling Snape how to get in the tunnel and Snape knowing about the werewolf and still going in after it.

 _An Obscurus though? That bad?_

"He should have done. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"…Did Harry tell you about this summer?"

"Yes. He plans to stay with us that first month until his new home is ready. Will you be staying with us as well?"

Sirius had planned to rent a flat for a month in London. It was much less hassle to get to the Ministry. However, that was an offer he was going to think on.

More importantly, there were no Dursleys. In his opinion, the blood wards are not worth the abuse from inside the house. As Harry was the one protected by the blood wards, he was the one to have final say, regardless of his age.

"Maybe, if the offer is still open."

"It will be."

"I'll think about it. I don't want to be a bother." Sirius had been paying them, but he felt like he was intruding.

"I don't think you would be. Ren, Nora and Blake enjoy spending time with you."

"…No news on when the others are coming back?"

"I'm quite sure Qrow has no intention of bringing them back."

Sirius nodded, his anger not fading. "Even if we destroy the objects, we then need to deal with Riddle himself."

"It is not that part that concerns me. It's the clean-up afterwards where the Wizarding World failed before. Lily Potter won you the final battle, but you lost the war. No one here seems to realise that."

Sirius didn't consider losing Lily and James a suitable cost to 'winning' the war.

* * *

"Sandock."

"Mr Ozpin."

The meeting started off as normal. Sandock gave him a folder concerning the finances. Ozpin had been named as he knew of how to manage the money and he didn't want it to drop low. However, the magicals also played the stock market in enough companies to manage.

There had been a significant drop for the two portkeys to America and there had been a transfer of funds there too. That was expected. However, all that came from the separate vault in which the chimaera money had been stored. While Ozpin managed that as well, there was an agreement to never withdraw anything from it by anyone not part of the family. It wasn't necessary.

The main vault had only been touched significantly once in the past few weeks. There was now a cap on how much Zephyr could take out, but it was enough to buy a place to live and support himself for six months easily, longer if he was careful.

Zephyr.

The Solgales were thought to have been killed ten years ago. However, there had been no sign of Venus (the mother) and Zephyr (the eighteen year old son). Darren (the father), Lake (eleven year old son) and Dakota (the five year old daughter) had been found. No one had given any thought to the other two after the Solgale Empire vanished nearly overnight. The children had not been known at all.

Ozpin had not known any of this.

 _How much of Zephyr did we really see? The boy who laughed at the pranks; the one who tipped food colouring into the pool to turn it purple at one lunchtime? If he gave us those three pieces of information, then I am sure he cares about his team. He still has a choice to make. I hope he chooses one that he can live with._

'Made the mistake'.

When one goes undercover, there is one mistake that should not be made. One should never get attached to those they were going to betray.

Zephyr chose to show his past connection with Cinder. The 'slip up' had been far too obvious for him not to have noticed. Ozpin just hoped he could walk away cleanly. Cinder was not known for that.

Hopefully his time here would help him decide his future.

Ozpin sighed and regretfully let the thought go for the moment. Even now, he did not regret appointing Zephyr as their leader.

 _Good luck Zephyr._

"Sandock, I have a question about bank policy."

"I cannot give out details on other clients. However, you are paying me for my time. How you use it is your concern."

"What is the policy of a vault in which the renter has died and has no heirs? Would Gringotts claim the contents or would it be given to the closest relative?"

"This is hypothetical and ignores that obvious solution of a will?"

"Of course."

"If the client has a sibling, then the contents is transferred into their name. They then have twenty four hours after the notification to acknowledge it personally. If it is a first cousin, all are notified and if none step forward within twenty four hours, the contents is mostly transferred to the Ministry. They then have twenty four hours for a representative to collect it."

"Mostly?"

"Goblin owned items remain in Gringotts."

Goblin owned items were items that were made by goblins. If they were searching for Founder's artefacts, then the only one that would apply was Gryffindor's Sword and they knew that wasn't one. As such, this should not be a problem.

"And after the twenty four hour window?"

"Then the property belongs to Gringotts."

Gringotts was thought to be one of the most secure places in the British Magical Society. It was highly possible that a horcrux resided here. Sirius could not find the actual treaties agreed to, so they didn't know if storing a soul piece in the bank was illegal. Unless that was certain, they had agreed not to bring it up.

Perhaps it would be wise to ask Bill Weasley at some point. There was a good chance he didn't know, but there was also the chance he did.

The thought was Bellatrix Lestrange. Her husband was dead and she had no children. She did have siblings: Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks. This could be a problem if this was the case. They did not want people to know about the horcruxes unless they absolutely had to.

However, Andromeda was not a common Black and Narcissa was Cinder's contact. There may be a simpler way of talking to them.

That was working under two assumptions: Bellatrix had a horcrux and she put it in a vault.

Ozpin was not going to break into the bank to retrieve it.

His questions answered, he returned his gaze to the finances. Many of the children hoped that when Riddle was gone, they could go home. Ozpin wasn't so sure. The Wizarding World could handle a Dark Lord, but unless changes were made, another would merely take their place with the same considerable backing.

Madam Bones had done much to prevent this, but her forces were few and the money was low. It would be simple to slip back into the well-known ways.

That would be the real fight for their future.

* * *

Harry closed the book and returned it to the shelf. His grades in History of Magic may be sliding, but he knew more about the past one hundred years in Britain. He had noticed a pattern.

Grindelwald had been a terror for years. He had not necessarily focused on pureblood supremacy, but magical supremacy as a whole all around the world. That may have been possible at the time, but muggles had grown far more efficient in war. Once Grindelwald was gone, there was a brief peace before Voldemort appeared. There was a focus on pureblood supremacy, but there was no knowledge on how muggles could fight. There was a brief peace when Voldemort was 'gone' and his followers remained in the perfect place for his return or any other Dark Lord.

 _For all their intelligence, they fail to realise they literally created an army against themselves and gave them more than enough reason to fight._

Harry's sources were not just the Hogwarts library. It was difficult to find accurate reports, but there was some truth in everything. The trick was finding which truth each source had.

History was fascinating when not taught by Binns.

Harry was the financer for this company, but he wanted a proper job as well. He wanted to contribute more than just money. However, he still had to choose what he wanted.

He knew what he didn't want to be: an Auror or a Hit Wizard.

Fighting on the battlefield was almost easy to Harry. The worst part though was new. He wasn't used to seeing the horrific aftermath; he was normally in the hospital wing or at Privet Drive. He didn't see Ginny recover from the trauma of her possession; he didn't see the other students affected by dementors; he didn't remember how everyone responded to Cedric's death before they left that summer.

However, Harry did remember the horrific scene when he returned from Hogsmeade that fateful day. He remembered seeing the bleeding and broken in the Entrance Halls. He remembered hearing their cries and screams. He remembered smelling the distinct iron in their spilt blood.

This is what had happened during the last war.

Nothing had changed. People on both sides were still dying. People who weren't involved were dying.

Harry passed by Draco in the hallway. He was alone and didn't notice Harry as he walked by. As much as the two loathed each other, Harry wasn't going to kick someone when they were down.

Draco had always mocked Harry for losing his parents. Now he had lost his father to Harry's godfather.

Sirius was a Hit Wizard. His place was on the battlefield, not investigating crimes. The sole reason he had been investigating Umbridge's murder was because he knew more about the castle than nearly anyone. He also knew the locations of the hidden passages, which saved time when searching for an infiltrator.

A few nights before, Sirius had responded to a notification of muggle baiting. There had been five people in Death Eater regalia, with most of them firing spells. Once the Hit Wizards and Aurors arrived, they attacked them. One had used an Avada Kedavra Curse at Sirius. With an Unforgivable used, Sirius aimed a Bone-Breaking Curse at his head as he dodged out of the way.

What no one foresaw was the Death Eater's wand turning into a rubber chicken.

That Death Eater was killed and later identified as Lucius Malfoy.

Fred and George had been called on and they confirmed that the transformation of the fake wand into a rubber chicken was forced by a spell, though it didn't matter which one. If the spell was spoken with a real wand, the spell would work.

As such, Lucius Malfoy died a Death Eater and he did not die a hero's death.

Draco had been very withdrawn since.

 _Although, I do wonder what happened to his real wand. How did he not notice? Fred and George aren't selling those wands yet, so few people have access to one._

He didn't think much more on it.

There was one thought Harry was entertaining. After all those trips that the Dursleys had gone on, he had wanted to see the world. He certainly didn't want to be stuck in an office 9 to 5, but he honestly didn't think he had the patience to teach certain types of students and a teacher had an obligation to teach everyone. At first. Four Slytherins (including Malfoy) and three Ravenclaws didn't last one lesson with Professor Goodwitch and she didn't allow them back.

 _Certainly made the others pay attention, but repeating an action that got you a warning not three minutes later was always going to have that result. I would struggle to handle the frustrating kids. I also don't have a fantastic idea about what discipline should be._

Harry's ears were still ringing from Sirius' angry lecture about the blood quill. He felt a little sorry for Ruby; he had to go through that scolding once while she probably got four. At least.

 _At least the scars were gone._

"Hey Luna. Hey Ginny," Harry greeted. They were in the Room, with a rabbit Patronus bouncing around with a horse chasing it.

"Hello Harry," Luna replied. "How has your day been?"

Harry thought about it. "Angry, to be honest. Everyone's talking about what happened to Lucius Malfoy. Cedric never got any of this."

Ginny's face was a mixture of anger and disgust. "That's because most were in denial. You know how they are."

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."

"Yes it does Harry."

"It matters for the reason you want it to matter," Luna smiled. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of the people that were in Hogsmeade were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are the ones who suffer most, not those actively fighting."

"The children," Harry muttered. It was also the children that were affected first.

Ginny and Luna were quiet. The only reason why the three weren't depressed were the two Patronus running around the room. There may be no more dementors in Britain, but Harry taught his friends anyway for this very purpose; a light in the darkness of war.

Harry may or may not be the Boy-Who-Lived, but this wasn't his war unless he made it his war. For now, he was leaving it to the adults. At least until he was seventeen and if the war was still going, then he would be tempted to call a few magicals in the muggle army.

He rubbed his scar absentmindedly before turning a page of his book. Apparently there was another vision from Riddle that may or may not be intentional. Harry did not go into his mindscape to find out. He was convinced they were nothing but trouble.

Mercury had said 'the link to Riddle was reliant on his life and so he shouldn't worry about it'. So when Riddle died, the link would be gone. Therefore, it was nothing to worry too much about. While Harry hated ignoring problems, that was the best way to deal with this.

The book he was reading was a published journal by an American wizard that was a potions gatherer. This was one possible route for Harry. Another was an ambassador, but he really didn't want that. He loved flying, but he didn't want to make it a chore.

He also had to consider how he was going to manage his company during his travels. If these mirrors could be mass-produced, then maybe they could be made a replacement for phones. Harry was wondering about creating a safety deposit box that could teleport items placed inside to another identical box.

 _That might not be useful for sensitive documents, but magic could probably do anything if all avenues are examined carefully. Passcodes could be used to ensure the person on the other end is the right one. They were good during the last war._

Neville joined them about half an hour later. He gave a nod to them and immediately began to fire curses at dummies that had appeared in the corner. Since Rudolph Lestrange's death, Neville had been pushing himself more and more.

However, after forty solid minutes of high level curses, Harry stood up and approached him.

"Neville, I get that you want to get stronger, but slow down. You're going to burn yourself out."

"I'm fine."

"You're angry. That's why you feel fine. You won't when you run out of anger."

"I won't-"

"I don't know what's up with you Neville, but you're going to collapse if you don't slow down."

Neville's fists were shaking. "There's one left Harry. One left of the ones that…"

Harry waited patiently. But Neville didn't continue. Ginny was watching carefully. Luna eyes went between the two and there was no smile on her face.

"Neville?" Harry prompted.

Neville took a deep breath. Rather than calm him, it seemed to focus him. "Bartemius Crouch Junior." A Blasting Hex destroyed a dummy faster than Harry could blink. "Rudolph Lestrange." A Bone Breaker. "Bellatrix Lestrange." No words were said, but the dummy exploded. " _They_ are the reason my parents are in St Mungo's."

The room was silent.

Now that Harry thought about it, all references of Neville's parents, which were very few, were past tense. He had never asked; it wasn't his place to. He had thought Neville's parents had died. Why else would he have his father's wand? He was wrong.

Neville closed his eyes. The dummies vanished.

"It was after Riddle's disappearance. Right after. My parents had just come out of hiding. Those three found them. They wanted to know where their master was. They tortured them for information on anything they knew. Anything. They _never_ gave in. They're in St Mungo's now. Different."

Crouch Jnr was Kissed. Lestrange male was dead. Lestrange female was still on the loose.

"I'm sorry Neville."

Neville nodded. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. " _Expecto Patronum._ " It was mist at first. Then the lion leapt out of the wand and stood to attention.

"You've made them proud Neville," Luna spoke up.

"Definitely," Ginny nodded firmly.

Under the Patronus' gaze, Neville walked away from the dummies. A plate of fruit and biscuits appeared next to the bean bags they had been using as chairs. Neville joined them, burying himself in a Herbology book.

After Moody's and Sirius' inspection, Hogwarts was considered safe. Ghosts were now more attentive and portraits near known entrances were always occupied.

To Harry, Hogwarts was a home, but it was never a safe one.

* * *

Blake knew her friends habits. Ren and Nora would be in the kitchens.

Ren was at a cooker. They could ask an elf to cook for them, but Ren enjoyed the action himself. Nora was 'subtly' trying to swipe the pancakes off the plate next to the cooker when Ren put them in a pile. Ren was too quick with the spatula though.

The elves were also unwilling to help her steal them, even if they did find the interaction amusing.

Still, Blake was fairly sure that there should be more pancakes on that plate.

"Would you like anything Blake?" Ren asked, tapping Nora's thieving fingers without even looking and ignoring her pout.

Blake was about to refuse, but something changed her mind. "Just the one. Any syrup left?"

"I chose not to look until I needed it."

"Meanie," Nora groaned. "He won't let me eat the pancakes even though they are sitting _right there_ and then he won't tell me where the syrup is. I looked in all these cupboards. Every one. Nothing. No ketchup or mayo or _anything_."

Blake smiled easily. "Are you sure you haven't already eaten it all?"

"Not. One. Drop."

Blake laughed. It was hard not to.

An elf approached her. "Would miss like a drink?"

"Hot chocolate please."

"With lots of milk," Nora cheerfully added. "In fact, could you use milk instead of water? The same for me please?"

The elf (who Blake was very sure was called Missy) nodded happily and chose to move to the other end of the kitchen to make it rather than Conjure it. She looked at Ren, but he shook his head. As such, she only filled two mugs.

Nora's was gone so fast Blake wasn't sure she even tasted it.

"So what do you think?" Nora grinned. "Arcade?"

"We're banned from there for another week," Ren inputted.

"Theatre?"

"Ruby does want to put on a show, but she wanted help on the script."

"How about bowling?"

"Banned from there for two weeks."

"Grimm baiting?"

"That's new," Blake commented. Something new to plan was rare. Their games at Beacon were getting rather ridiculous and she still claimed JWMP cheated during that bake off. Somehow. "What would the rules be?"

"Creep: one point. Beowolf: two points. Ursa: three points. Nevermore and above: five points. Three-No. Four hours. Forever Fall…or Emerald Forest…Hmm…Both! Then we'll have a decider in Mountain Glenn if we need to."

 _Mountain Glenn…_

There would not be a repeat of the White Fang's planning at Mountain Glenn.

Blake had had enough.

Adam may have been coerced just after she left, but he had changed before that and he certainly wouldn't have cared about using the same tactics on his own. Did he really care about his people or was it merely because they were his people alone? He was dragging everyone in the White Fang down with him.

Zephyr…was different. He had worked for the same person, but his actions didn't paint a target on his 'underlings' backs. He had even passed on a warning about Adam to her. 'Never get attached while undercover' and Zephyr had. He had chosen to blow his cover after someone did something he couldn't stand. He could have chosen to remain hidden.

The White Fang wished for equality. Not superiority. Not terror. It was terrorism that attracted these people to hire the White Fang in the first place.

When they got back home, Blake would wait until after the Vytal Festival to bite the bullet.

Go home. Return to her parents between the school years. Face the music.

It was time to stop running.

It was time to grow up and step up.


	20. Resolutions and Negotiations

**In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

The first day of the Easter holidays.

Harry had stayed in Hogwarts this time, enjoying the castle. He was as ready as he was going to be for his OWLs. He was certain he would do very well, although he was going to fail divination. He could easily live with that and, if he could withdraw, he would. For everything else, he was good to go.

Still, his good mood was tampered slightly with the summons to the Headmaster's Office. He had only been in there when people thought he was in trouble. The Chamber of Secrets Incident sprang to mind.

He did wonder the point of a password if someone could guess it. Then again, a student might actually have a good reason for needing to see the Headmaster, such as someone going after the Philosopher's Stone. That did beg the question of why have a password in the first place.

 _He may have wanted me to handle it on my own, which I was happy to do back then, and he probably wasn't too far away, but it was still ridiculous pitting an eleven year old against Riddle._

Harry was pleased to see Sirius there and assumed Professor Goodwitch was there to keep Sirius in check. He had been on a rather short fuse with Dumbledore since the Christmas Holidays, though Harry wasn't entirely sure the reason why. He guessed that the acromantulas (that had been relocated to a silk farm in Switzerland), trolls and Basilisk had something to do with it. If Hermione's parents knew about any of that, they would pull her from Hogwarts.

 _Odd that she has trouble lying to teachers, yet has no problem lying to her parents. Then again, until she finishes her OWLs, she has to stay at a school for a magical education if she wants to stay a witch._

"Ah, Harry." Professor Dumbledore looked solemn. That was never good. "Working hard I hope?"

"Yes professor," Harry responded. He wasn't really interested in discussing his schoolwork.

"Now, today we have a rather unusual request from you, but we think it's necessary."

Harry turned his gaze to Sirius. Sirius answered his unasked question.

"It's for the war effort and you don't have to do much. But I agree Harry, this is very important and you need to do it."

That was enough for Harry. If Sirius thought it was necessary and couldn't think of an alternative, then Harry would agree. Sirius knew where Harry really stood in the war. "Okay. So what do you want me to do?"

Dumbledore smiled and levitated…something onto his desk from a cabinet at the side. "This is a Pensieve Harry." Harry nodded to show he knew what that was. "All I ask is that you allow us to view your memory of the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"A discussion for later Harry," Sirius responded. When Sirius said later, he meant it. He wouldn't let it slide.

Harry still couldn't see it, but it wasn't a difficult request. Riddle was in it, so mostly information. Probably. "Okay. How do I do it?"

"Find the memory in your mind. Bring it to the front. Focus very carefully on the memory. I'll catch it on my wand and put it in."

Harry closed his eyes. It was simple with his Occlumency; he merely moved the memory from its normal resting place to his Entrance Hall. He nodded to Sirius when it was in place. He felt the memory almost shimmer for a moment, then it felt foggy. If he focused, he could still view it. After a moment, it went back to normal.

When he opened his eyes, the adults were by the basin. There was grey swirling inside.

"Are you happy for all of us to see this Harry?" Goodwitch asked.

"Yes."

"Are you coming with us?"

Harry was about to refuse when he glanced at Sirius, who was glaring at the Pensieve. "Yes."

The memory started when Harry, Ron and Lockhart entered Moaning Myrtle's toilet and ended when Fawkes flew them out. Harry learned quickly that they couldn't understand Parseltongue even in his memory, so Harry translated.

To say that the adults were unhappy at the shed skin would be an understatement. Sirius was furious at Lockhart when he tried to Obliviate them and resulted in separating them. Only now did it occur to Harry how despicable the man was. He had been willing to leave three children to die and make a bestselling book from it.

Why they wanted the memory became clear when memory-Riddle appeared. It was obvious that was who they were interested in. That was easy to guess. Dumbledore did smile at Harry's claim of him being the greatest sorcerer in the world. The real Harry wished he could take it back. At least it had done the job and scared Riddle.

Even in memory, Fawkes song relaxed Harry.

If Harry thought they were angry at the skin, it was nothing compared to when the real thing came out of Salazar Slytherin's mouth.

When the younger Harry was stabbed by the fang, Sirius immediately looked at him to make sure he was still alive and well.

Dumbledore frowned. "You did not mention that part Harry."

Harry shrugged. "Fawkes healed me. It wasn't a problem."

Sirius' glare told him he thought very different. It was looking like Harry was going to be in for another lecture later. Wonderful. Harry supposed he should be thankful Madam Pomfrey hadn't labelled a bed as his as she had threatened.

The memory ended and the four of them were back in the Headmaster's Office. It was certainly one of the most unique and weird experiences Harry had ever had.

The adults' faces were rather blank. That was never a good sign.

"Is there anything else?" Harry asked. He knew there was a very good reason he had been called here, but other than realising a few things he hadn't noticed the first time around, he couldn't see it.

"No," Sirius replied. "But we _will_ be talking later."

That was not a talk Harry was looking forward to. "Understood." There was no point in arguing. He only got in more trouble.

"Then off you go."

"Good luck in your exams Harry," Dumbledore smiled.

"Thank you sir." Harry did need to pass these exams to do his NEWTs after all. He just didn't intend to do them in Hogwarts.

He was not looking forward to sending his withdrawal letter though.

* * *

One good thing about anywhere in America: there was always something to do.

Qrow had expected to have problems finding a house to rent on short notice. A hotel was fine for short term with him and Mercury alone, but with all of them for an unknown amount of time, they needed something else. It had been remarkably easy and he was honestly surprised. He had expected something to be wrong with it. Then again, maybe the owners really needed the money or they didn't have any kids.

 _The conversion rate for galleons into dollars was low, but then most muggleborn tend to after they leave Hogwarts. Just as well we didn't try at the beginning of the summer; it would be even worse._

This was actually a villa, including an indoor swimming pool for some reason. There was a river out the back and the four were currently fishing. They were pulling some pretty big things out as well before putting them back. All of them were genuinely surprised when Yang managed to pull a small shark out. Qrow had thought they were all in the sea.

In the number of fish caught, Emerald was winning. In size, Yang was winning. In diversity, Mercury was winning. Ruby had long since given up trying to catch fish, instead choosing to alternate her victims and trying to make them lose the fish after it was hooked. They made a game out of everything.

 _I think Emerald would cheat with her Semblance if she took up Ruby's role. That said, that kiss for Mercury was definitely cheating. Can't deny its effectiveness._

The day before, Qrow had been fishing with them. He won all their competitions easily, even without the help of his Semblance. Experience did help there. Today, he was happy to leave them to it.

Tomorrow, they were going on a private boat for most of the day.

Qrow would admit he was spoiling them. He wasn't stupid. He may have left the British Wizarding World with them (and boy would he be annoyed if any of them were needed for anything else there), but that wasn't the end of their troubles. Even their time on Remnant was dangerous and he was sure it was going to get even worse once the Vytal Festival started. Now, they could just act like kids and not have any worries about the world.

 _That and I have a lot of time to catch up on. No wonder Tai was on my case all this time._

The neutralising of his Semblance did have its own problem. Most of the jobs he did for Ozpin were necessary, took up a great amount of his time and were normally far away from Patch. There were very few others that could move as freely as he could. It had been a way to keep his family safe, from the dangers of Remnant and from himself. They would expect him to be around a lot more often now, but could he? Or would it end in more tears? Nothing was more important than them, but with two high profile targets and Ruby's and Yang's determination, they were going to get involved in things that were above their current skill. Here was fine, but what would happen when they got back to Remnant was very uncertain.

Ozpin had brought Amber into the 'inner circle' just before they asked her to remove the Grimm mark. That did take some of the pressure off as she had been very interested in stopping Salem, but her being a Maiden did not make her a suitable substitute for Qrow. He also had far more experience in gaining the information they needed.

If he stepped back, it could result in disaster and he was sure his family would feel it first.

Winky popped in. She was holding a book. "From Miss Amber."

"…Thanks Winky."

The elf had been acting as a messenger, but Qrow hadn't heard from any of the others for a week. Amber had given the family three weeks in America, then asked what and how they were doing. At the time, they had been camping.

He glanced at the book as the elf vanished.

'Miracle Eye: Anatomy of the Human Organ'

Qrow blinked. He flicked through the pages. It was very detailed with diagrams, yet explained in very basic terms. His many excursions in a bookshop had only resulted in two that were suitable for someone of Emerald's education, which wasn't much of a surprise. This one was so much better.

This was their final verdict on Mercury.

Talaria studied the book. She didn't get it. She wouldn't. Death was a fact of life for a predator and Talaria didn't have morals. There were merely rules that were specific to each 'pack' (even if Vipertooths weren't normally pack animals) and there were rules that every one of their species followed. As she understood it, Mercury had broken an 'every one of their species' rule and that was why he was in trouble. This didn't explain Qrow's obvious good mood. She nudged the book and looked at him with a gentle chitter.

He glanced out at the kids. They were completely oblivious.

"Emerald's power is weak. When she is strong enough," or in other words, when Cinder is dead, "she will be able to fix Mercury's eye. This will help her do that. Mercury's no longer in trouble."

The Spring Maiden could not re-grow lost limbs, but as long as there was something still there to work with, they could re-grow organs. That there was still some of that eye left meant it wouldn't always be useless.

Amber had the most reason to hate them. She had just given them something that would help them in their future.

Talaria crooned.

The night the girls arrived in that portkey (that none of them knew how to land gracefully with) was the first time he had seen Mercury nervous. Yang had been the first one to hug him.

With a smile, Qrow stood up and dropped the book on top of the cabinet next to the stairs. They would all sleep much easier tonight.

Winky reappeared with a smile. "Miss Amber also said she wants to see Miss Em after she is powerful."

That surprised Qrow. She had never hinted at anything like that to him. "Did she say why?"

"No Sir Qrow."

It was easy enough to guess that Amber meant after Emerald has all the Spring Maiden power. What for though? If she wanted to harm them, she wouldn't have sent the book. Ironically, the only things he could think of were a proper chat or tutoring.

That was in the future.

For now, Qrow should probably step in before Yang and Ruby wind up in the river, seeing as Emerald and Mercury didn't seem like they were going to help. How had they managed to tie each other together with the line?

He also did not care he was supposed to be the 'cool uncle'. He was not letting Mercury and Yang drive a monster truck. He drew the line there.

* * *

This was the first time Cinder was meeting with Narcissa Malfoy since her husband died. That fact should make this go much smoother.

Honestly, Cinder was disappointed by what she found. Many of the purebloods that were Death Eaters failed to understand that, by removing all the muggleborns and half-bloods, their economy would collapse within the week. There were not enough suitable purebloods to maintain even a country this size.

That didn't really matter. While Auror numbers were dropping, Death Eater numbers were dropping as well. Half of the escapees from Azkaban were dead and they were the diehard supporters. The others were beginning to be disillusioned with Riddle. While other countries were not getting officially involved, there were a few American mercenaries that targeted known Death Eaters with a death sentence. This further demoralised them and provided support for the Aurors.

Even if they were now out of the country for long term, it would seem Mercury and Emerald had managed to get through the government that, if the Statute of Secrecy is broken in one country, it would be broken in all the other countries as well. No one wanted that.

"Miss Fall." Narcissa was not happy to see her. "Is there a danger to our deal?"

The current deal was that, provided that Narcissa was helpful, then she and her son would be judged separately from her husband, especially in the media. She had noticed very early on that Riddle would lose and so, displaying Slytherin traits that her son was lacking, she adapted. If her son learned his lesson (which so far he hadn't), then Cinder would heal the scar on his cheek. However, she had been clear that he was not to be told of that part.

"Currently not. However, I do have a request of you." This made no sense, but Mercury would not waste her time without good reason. Still, Mercury could be looking for an object that would allow him to rule this world and she wouldn't care. "It won't be long before someone catches up to your sister Bellatrix."

"She is not my sister." Narcissa was not angry. It was a simple statement to her.

"To Gringotts, she is. That means you or Andromeda can inherit her vault when she dies. I merely request an item from it."

"An odd request."

"What does that matter? If I were your husband's master, you would not question it." There was a nod in response. His mercilessness was part of the reason Narcissa did not want her son to follow in his father's footsteps, especially given their differing temperaments. A boy who could not handle a scratch from a hippogriff would quickly snap under a casual Cruciatus.

 _While I despise failure, I would not incapacitate any of my forces if the numbers were low. That is very counter-productive. Riddle may end his own followers for us, but Bellatrix unfortunately would not be one of them. This had better be useful Mercury._

"It is unlikely that Andromeda will go anywhere near anything belonging to Bellatrix. What object are you after?"

"My elf will accompany you and select one." At least Mercury had explained that the elf would know. It meant that Cinder herself was not needed, especially as she suspected Mercury wasn't sure what he was looking for.

Cinder did know how much power objects could have. As she had no goals here other than to return to Remnant, she did not care what happened in-between.

 _Still, there have been some benefits from spending time here. It would be wise to alter some of the plans for the Vytal Festival. The ones here are not likely to be the same people I planned for. There is easily enough time for that._

"Very well," Narcissa agreed. "I had planned to keep the gold and destroy everything else anyway. I will send you a letter at the time." It was easy to strike a deal with someone when they got what they wanted or they weren't losing anything. "And what is the situation with that family?"

"It is unlikely they will be returning to Britain."

Narcissa had not been happy at St Mungo's when they couldn't help her son with the scar. Cinder had been exploring their medicine at the time and recognised the scar instantly. It had not been difficult to guess who was responsible. While Narcissa had been furious, she had been terrified to learn that Draco was well on his way to angering an assassin due to nothing but stupidity. That Draco had been fortunate enough to taunt him and not the older sister that would kill him without realising the danger had not improved her mood.

Cinder's initial plan had been to use Yang Xiao Long's temper. However, she had a lot greater control over it than she expected and was still getting better, especially by the time they returned to Remnant. Ozpin would not want a death on his hands due to lack of restraint.

Narcissa did not know that and, as long as Draco tried to antagonise them, his very life was at risk. He was not bright enough to see this for himself, so Narcissa had had to step in during the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

After hearing about Cinder healing her son's damage in the pub that day, Narcissa had contacted her and asked if she could heal Draco. Cinder could and told her so. However, she had no interest in helping a spoilt brat. Mercury was cocky, but he had great reason to be. Draco used his father's influence and was not interested in gaining his own.

Cinder had never liked leeches. Those that don't even see themselves as leeches even more so. She had no use for them.

Eventually, they came to an understanding. By reputation, Dumbledore was much like Ozpin: reluctant to get violent. However, that did not change the fact there was a readymade assassin more than willing to do the job. That, combined with said assassin's display during the Tournament, convinced Narcissa that the battle was different this time. She chose not to go down with her husband. If her son learned to adapt, that he would need to do in order to survive in the resulting government, then Cinder would heal him as a reward.

From Cinder's point of view, it was an experiment. Ginger and her siblings had been raised in a common and healthy environment, yet were sociopaths. Mercury had been raised in abuse and was learning, most likely because he would be killed otherwise. How would a pampered prince respond to his world being radically different to how he was raised?

The request made, Narcissa left. Cinder chose to remain for a while.

The main point in Salem's plan had changed. Cinder really didn't like it, for a lot of reasons. Ironically enough, neither did Watts. Hazel had been the one to question it, but when the new plan was stated, all of them could see the benefits.

Losing Zephyr as an informant was not a big blow. The last time he had reported in had been before the dance. Her other contacts in Beacon would do the job well enough, but there were problems with the new plans.

There was one key problem that no one really knew how to solve. That would be a matter of opportunity, but what annoyed Cinder was how many things could go wrong. Especially at such a key part of the next phase.

Another annoyance was that there was still no information on who had the rest of the Spring Maiden power. All five of them had been convinced it wasn't a student. While it was unlikely, history had shown many of the Maidens started as students. This also applied to Summer and Winter Maidens.

Given that Mercury was responsible for Rudolph Lestrange's death and was still alive meant that the Fall Maiden wasn't interested in killing him in the slightest.

 _While Ozpin may not like it, many Huntsmen are killers. It won't be long before Emerald and Mercury are brought into their inner circle._

They hadn't known much, if anything. Cinder had spent much of her free time separating them when they squabbled, which was _a lot_. They acted like children, so she treated them as such. They got the message quick enough. Emerald hadn't been interested in learning about Cinder's accomplices and Mercury accepted a need-to-know basis.

 _Emerald's Semblance. Perhaps we can still use that at the Festival. It would be wise to see how that is handled. This is rather unlikely though._

The original plans had been for the people before they arrived on this Earth. Some things would need to be tweaked, but it was doable.

In fact, this may be beneficial. While they had grown stronger in power than they may normally if they stayed on Remnant, how would their friends and allies respond?

Bonds were such fragile things, after all.

* * *

"Can I just say I greatly disapprove of this plan?"

"It was your idea."

Blake decided to keep her mouth shut. All she had done was express her annoyance that there were somehow still some students in this school that hexed others, especially the younger ones, for fun. This led to Nora taking the mirror to talk revenge over with Mercury and Emerald. Their idea was one Blake would admit to liking and they helped Ren to figure out how to do it. While Blake didn't understand how it worked, she knew what it did.

The problem she had was this was going to result in many trips to the Hospital Wing and no one really knew how different spells reacted to one another.

 _Oh well. They shouldn't dish it out if they can't take it._

That had been another issue she had. At least the bullies in Beacon could take what they dish out, even if they didn't like it.

 _I am also destroying Ren's notes after this. They are not putting these things around Beacon._

The idea was simple. There would be runes just on the inside of each of the Common Rooms. Everyone passed through there. Their wands would be 'scanned' and if any spells had been cast with intent to do serious harm or humiliation to another individual, the culprit would feel a minor reflection of that spell. Not too bad on its own, but the effects stacked. If you used magic responsibly, you wouldn't feel any effects. Bullies would be quite different.

Blake seriously hoped even Dust powered runes did not work on Remnant. While this was nice justice, it really worried her what else runes could do.

This was the last Common Room. Time to make themselves scarce.

It was odd how peaceful Hogwarts had become, save for the occasional hexing in the corridors for no reason. There wasn't any hostility anymore. After the Incident in Hogsmeade, the fact there was a war going on had been driven into everyone's minds. School squabbles were suddenly very minor. Those causing problems were ones that wanted revenge for their parents' deaths, from both sides. This was when curses went from pranks to deadly.

Yet one only saw it when they looked for it and most didn't look for it. Some things hadn't changed.

Blake had quizzed Ren thoroughly on this and told him to tone the effects down and that was before she learned they stacked. She wasn't stupid; she knew accidents could have fatal consequences. Sirius Black may have killed Lucius Malfoy, but it was Emerald who switched his wand with a fake. She hadn't thought this was too much of a problem as it had been done the second last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas and had given the wand to Draco by slipping it in his pocket. They thought he would figure out his wand was fake by the end of the day at the latest and that Draco would recognise his father's wand and return it. He had noticed the extreme similarity, but had chosen to keep it. It may not have contributed to his death, but he could have needed it to genuinely defend himself in justifiable situations.

 _It's probably part of the reason why Draco is so depressed. 'If only I sent the wand back…'_

'If only'. A very dangerous thought path.

It was a genuine mistake RMEY made; they couldn't have predicted that a wizard wouldn't use his wand for months when all their experience told them they barely managed a day. The spell would not have hit Sirius and Lucius didn't bother to dodge the spell that killed him. They weren't responsible.

She knew who the White Fang's 'employer' was now. She knew Emerald and Mercury used to work for her until a job went wrong. She knew it was most likely fear that got their initial loyalty, but there was a good chance their genuine loyalty had been earned. She knew the price of abandonment in the White Fang now.

 _People kept in line with fear. I know there are some members that are not happy with this. Maybe I can find a way to help them._

Blake knew there was another recruitment planned the week before the Vytal Festival Tournament started. She would have to be a lot more careful, but she may catch signs of how many people approved and how many _approved._

RMEY had personal connections to the one in charge. Blake would leave this Cinder to them. She knew what it felt like. She was interested in the White Fang. That was her past, present and future.

Ren and Nora had taken her past association with the White Fang well. Nora had pointed out that she had refused, which proved her better than Adam.

Adam. Who Zephyr had advised to avoid.

Blake really didn't want to think on that.

She was sure JWMP would also understand…Even Weiss. Eventually. All of them had reasons for wanting to become Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Their main way of combating Riddle had been the media. Take away the fear and people fight. However, everyone in this society carried a deadly weapon on them at all times. Their citizens did not. Most did not have their aura unlocked. This made keeping the public safe much harder.

People change. That was fact.

They arrived at the Great Hall. Professor Goodwitch had been alternating with Professor Flitwick to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts or 'survival skills'. It was ironic that the most difficult lesson to teach had been it was sometimes a good idea to retreat and fight another day.

Today, it was a test to see if students moved while they fired spells. It was a long term lesson that had been taught since Christmas. Quite a few stood still to fire spells and didn't pay attention to their surroundings.

Professor Goodwitch had selected Neville to be one participant. The muttered jeers of 'squib' confused Blake until she realised this had been his reputation for most of his school career and they had not seen him practicing in the Room of Requirement.

One Slytherin that Blake deliberately avoided to step up.

"This is going to be good," Nora grinned evilly.

"No it's not," Ren replied.

In a way, they were both right. The fight was fantastic for Neville, who aimed damaging curses at his opponent's arms while he kept moving. The one thing that prevented the match ending within ten seconds was that the Slytherin knew a shield charm. He never got the time to do anything else as Neville never stopped. Eventually, the shield broke down and a spell collided: a Bone-Breaking Curse to the wand arm.

Flitwick called an end to the match and only then did Neville relax. Many of the crowd were staring with open mouths. Harry instead began to clap, joined by many others. Soon, everyone was clapping.

Neville blushed in embarrassment, but he held his head high as he stepped down.

When Ginny stepped up, no one in Gryffindor was willing to step up. A Hufflepuff that Blake had spoken friendly to in passing did. Their match was far more interesting, with both participants moving and casting. It still ended quickly, but then many true fights did. It was spars that lasted longer and that was to catch habits.

One by one, everyone stepped up.

Everyone except Harry.

No one challenged him. When Harry was the only one left that hadn't fought, his opponent refused with the following reason: 'of course he'll win, he's the Boy-Who-Lived'.

Suddenly, Blake saw the reason why Mercury had complained about his team's name once. It could be rather misleading.

 _That's up to them though. And I think they'll live up to it. Ruby will certainly do everything in her power to._

Harry picked his own opponent.

He picked Nora.

Blake and Ren shared a very confused glance as Nora gleefully catapulted herself onto the stage. Once again, there were many people claiming Harry was crazy. This time, Blake was in agreement, but they were very curious as to how Harry would put up a good fight.

"Go get 'em guys!" Ron cheered. This set everyone else off, with quite a few cheering for each side. Lee decided he was going to commentate.

Blake and Ren shared another look. This time, it was a fond smile.

It was actually a smart choice by Harry from a tactical point of view. Nora's Semblance was triggered by lightning, so he could avoid that. She wasn't going to use her grenade launcher this close without danger of hitting someone else. The hammer needed space to swing.

There was the slight problem that Nora had a rather unique way of fighting.

Which included somehow balancing upside down on the ceiling for a few seconds. Anyone else, including Lee, would stare in sheer confusion. Harry, who was probably just as confused, chose to fling a few chairs at her.

Their aura was a powerful defence against magic. Using magic to result in blunt force was clever. A Banishing Charm could be very accurate and Harry had trained with them during the summer. He knew their speed and probably guessed they were slowing for him.

Nora, in her unique (insane) way, managed to get Harry in a corner. The problem with weapons was that it was possible to predict where they were aiming. This was part of the reason why nearly all of Harry's spells were missing and Nora was more interested in destroying the battlefield than attacking Harry. While Harry noticed this, Nora had done it in a way that there was nothing he could do about it.

When Nora got in position to strike, Harry summoned Prongs. This was done on the spot as there was nothing else he could really do in his position and, had it been a wizard, they would have hesitated as the Patronus ran through them.

Nora remembered it wasn't solid. With a grin, she smashed Harry from one end of the Great Hall to the other. She also knew he wore armour under his robes.

Goodwitch mentally caught him before he crashed into the wall and gently lowered him to his feet. "Well done, both of you."

It was well done. Prongs had taken off nearly half of Nora's aura and she hadn't noticed.

The crowd was quiet.

"Nora," Harry started as he brushed the dust off his robes. "On a scale of one to ten, how strong was that swing?"

"Hmm…Three? Maybe three and a half."

"Right. Next time I get in trouble with a troll, I'm ringing you."

Nora grinned.

Flitwick clapped for a moment. "Very well done. Know your opponents and know your environment. Adapt accordingly. That might well save your life one day."

"This extends to a wide variety of situations," Goodwitch added. "If planning a trip to Egypt, become familiar with Ancient Runes. Even if you are not expecting trouble, always keep your wand with you. Do not engage an enemy that greatly outnumbers you, even if you have something to lose. Call in reinforcements. If going to Africa, bring a Parselmouth as there are many venomous snakes and that's not including the magical ones."

Most of the crowd winced at that last one.

"Dismissed."

"Well…" Nora stretched. "How about an after battle meal? Who's in?"

Harry's wand vanished into its holster. "I'm in."

""I'm in,"" Ren and Blake replied together.

"Me too," Luna added as she skipped to Harry's side.

"Oi Nora…"

"…Count us in."

Typical Weasley Twins.

Professor Goodwitch sighed. "Please don't leave the kitchen in such a mess again."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Lee replied as he followed the Twins.

Blake could tell instantly that this was going to be a noisy night.

 _Oh well. I wouldn't have it any other way._

* * *

Zephyr stared down at the corpse. He was a little annoyed he got whichever new recruit rather than the experienced nutjob, both of which had been crazy enough to throw Killing Curses at an orphanage. How did they do this in Pureblood Supremacy? His mother Venus did this as one of the benefactors owed the Solgale family money, though his father Darren took credit for it. That at least worked (even if he was now wishing he had never heard of it).

The most annoying part was that Bellatrix got away. The only ones he had seen crazier than her were Ginger and Pepper.

He would feel very sorry for him if those two ever caught up to Mercury.

 _I get they're useful, but there are some people you just don't work with._

Back to the present. Bellatrix was gone. Apparently seeing her friend get killed by the same three pronged sword that deflected a Killing Curse was a cue to leave. It was rather annoying when these idiots do the smart thing.

Oh well. Neville may get his chance to get his own revenge.

With a shrug, Zephyr wandered down the pitch black roads. He wasn't afraid of being mugged; the mugger wouldn't have a big enough knife. He didn't have any money on him anyway. It was in the apartment.

Ozpin was an idiot.

Still, it was more than enough for what he needed. He wasn't stupid. Some people joined the Death Eaters in the last war because that was the 'winning side'. Not so much this time, so he rarely had to worry about hitting an 'innocent'. Making a deal with an Auror in the Ministry had been easy and he intended to retire after the war anyway. He had plausible deniability, so he wasn't going to Azkaban. Zephyr wasn't going to be around for too much longer.

 _Azkaban huh. If people aren't insane before they go, they certainly are after. If they ever do. If a crime is so grave that they get sent there, why not just kill them and get it over with? What's the point in 'teaching them a lesson' when they are never going to be released to use it? Some fates are worse than death, but there has to be a point to it._

Yeah, Zephyr would happily say he had issues. His physical body was a mix of technology and biology, but didn't age. Stuck at nineteen…There were worse ages.

He had never forgiven Venus for picking him over Lake or Dakota.

 _I wonder what would have happened had Dakota met Nora. She would be only two years younger. Most likely, Remnant wouldn't be standing. It would probably be replaced by a giant marshmallow or something._

It was more difficult to admit that he missed the others. Ren, the one who was haunted by his parents' deaths. Nora, the one who was struggling to admit she was in love with Ren. Blake, the one who was lost in so many ways. Weiss, the one who acted like a spoilt brat for very unspoilt brat reasons. Jaune, the one who stupidly risked his life and fought for the one he replaced. Melody, the one who was so blind yet so observant. Pyrrha, the one who got exactly what she wanted at Beacon. Ruby, the one who had glimpsed the true darkness of the world and was willing to be the light. Yang, the one who had a choice to make. Emerald, the one who never got a choice. Hell, he even missed Mercury, who had every choice and chose stupid, with predictable results. One who was willing to accept consequences.

It was ironic in a way. Zephyr would always hate Marcus Black. He would always hate the damn client who ordered the entire family's death, not just the parents who had been in charge. That was never going to change. It was rather hypocritical to take it out on Marcus' son, who flattened Yang in combat again merely hours after he first woke up with a missing eye (which Yang immediately complained about).

Ironic that Snape had been so good for teaching the one lesson he refused to learn.

Zephyr knew that Snape had told Riddle the first part of the prophecy that led to the Potters' deaths. While he claimed that he loved Lily and was playing spy to make up for her death (which could be true), he had never acknowledged that he had a role in James Potter's death. In Zephyr's mind, Snape had no right to talk trash to the son of the man he murdered and had no remorse for. He lost every right to complain when he ended their rivalry in a very fatal way.

Zephyr didn't want to be like Snape. Mercury had never done any harm to him, except nick the honour of killing Marcus. Zephyr was willing to allow the argument that Mercury had called 'dibs'.

Time to move on and find a new purpose in life.

It wasn't with Cinder though.

It wasn't as a Huntsman either.

Ironic that he was now facing the question every teenager faced in their lives: what do they want to be?

He was killing, rather arguably, for the 'greater good' of this world. Something he also didn't intend to continue on Remnant.

Zephyr was really beginning to hate irony.

Right now though, there was supposed to be another Death Eater raid nearby. Maybe he would get another shot at Bellatrix. He didn't appreciate her trying to torture him before trying to kill him. He could have been a stupid kid who had run away from home for goodness sake.

It was remarkably frustrating in dealing with delusional fanatics that had no standards.

* * *

Throughout the final term, an argument was had. There were very great risks, but who had the right to decide who would make it, if not the one who was affected the most?

Despite the argument being a long one, it was not a circular one with single points held by each side. Both sides had a variety of good and bad points. This made making a wise decision all the more difficult. Especially as both sides did not divulge everything to the other.

Most of the arguing was done by the same two people. The third was merely there to play peacemaker and make sure nothing was done that may be regretted later.

The war was coming to an end.

Most of the diehard Death Eaters did not seem to realise that their nights of muggle baiting were likely to result in death for them. Those that were interested in power or glory were quickly abandoning Lord Voldemort in self-preservation and he did not have the numbers to track them down and execute them as he wished. Lord Voldemort himself had not been seen since the raid on Azkaban.

The neutrals in the Wizengamot liked tradition, but were willing to change a few if it resulted in fewer Dark Lords, within reason. There had been far too many in recent years. Dark Lords were bad for everyone that was not with them and some even for them too.

With the exception of the nightly battles, things appeared peaceful in the magical world. For some, this was a sign that things were looking up. For others, this was a sign of an even greater storm.

* * *

 **AN: My original plan was for this to not be many more chapters, although that may change as I start writing the next one rather than just planning it. That said, I still have a few very important things left. I fully intend for the RWBY characters to keep their memories as it would be a shame if they didn't.**

 **My thanks for reading.**


	21. Inner Demons

**In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

It didn't take Blake long to get from the kitchen to the Seventh Floor. There were many passageways scattered around the castle and she now knew many of them. Nowhere was far if you knew where to go.

Harry had approached her in the kitchens, saying that Ren and Nora had been hanging around the corridor outside the Room of Requirement for over three hours and he was worried. Blake was too. Three hours in the Room was nothing new. Outside the Room was normally less than three minutes.

So why were they still hanging around outside?

Ren was very solemn when Blake arrived. He was just staring at the door. Nora was quiet and still as well. This, more than anything, increased Blake's worry. Something was going on.

Blake didn't hesitate to ask. "What's wrong?"

Nora jumped and looked at her. Her gaze went from Blake to Ren to Blake to Ren and back to Blake again. "I don't think this is a good idea."

They had been outside this Room for three hours. Whatever the reason, they were very wary of something they had designed. All of a sudden, Blake was afraid of what was in there. "What was the idea?"

Ren had always been quiet as long as Blake had known him. Now though, something was different. He was tense. Angry.

Nora talked. "Well…This Room can give you anything and while it's not exactly real, it's real enough and anything you see is real but not real and can be good and bad and-"

"Nora," Blake interrupted. Nora could really go on. Now wasn't the time. "You're not helping. One sentence with proper grammar." She wasn't expecting proper grammar, but she was expecting a proper sentence length and purpose.

Again, Nora was quiet for a few seconds. Ren had not stopped staring at the door. Blake's cat ears twitched unconsciously.

"The Room can make demons real to fight, but not real to deal with the real one."

Blake tried to translate that in her head. "So what is in that Room…" She trailed off. They trained against Grimm in that Room, but they weren't real Grimm. Now she understood. She glanced at Ren. He was the instigator here. "Are you sure about this Ren? Fighting demons can't be easy." Even if it was an illusion in the end. "I'm staying either way."

Nora smiled at her.

Ren grit his teeth. He nodded. "I need to know if I'm ready."

"So what's inside?" Blake asked gently as her hand went to her sword.

"The monster from my past."

Monster.

'Monster' had a lot of meanings.

For Blake, monsters were Grimm. Monsters were also people, as much as she didn't want to accept it.

Blake glanced at Nora. She knew what was going on. That was enough for Blake to be sure Ren wasn't going to do something too crazy and dangerous.

 _Even if Ren configured the Room, we can stop it and configure it into something else despite Ren's disagreement. He doesn't want to hurt us, after all._

With narrowed eyes, Ren wrenched the door open and stormed inside. After trading a worried glance with Nora, the two followed.

At first there was nothing. Once the door closed behind them, there was a Grimm. A Grimm that Blake had never seen before. She hadn't seen anything similar to it either.

 _That's…humanoid. I didn't know Grimm could have parts that were human._

The size didn't bother her. Blake knew Grimm could grow very large. This one though just _felt_ unique. All Grimm were unnatural but they didn't tend to look it too much.

This looked very, very wrong. It _felt_ wrong. On every level.

Blake normally wasn't afraid of Grimm. This one she was afraid of.

Before she could open her mouth to ask a question (even if she wasn't sure what the question was), Ren had already run straight at it.

"Ren!"

Nora sighed. Then her sadness switched to anger when Ren was knocked aside. A grenade launcher identical to Nora's appeared, which she picked up and began to fire. The Grimm, which Blake would look for later just to give a name to this abomination, turned from Ren and aimed at her.

Nora rolled out of the way.

Knowing that she had limited ammo, Blake mentally asked for a replacement. One appeared. A quick check showed it was identical, save that it had unlimited ammo. No time to think on that.

Most of Ren's Dust had gone into his experiments. Blake and Nora didn't have much, but they had helped, making sure they were equal. They didn't need to worry about that.

What Blake did need to worry about was that all rational thought seemed to have left Ren. He was just attacking, with no sense of self-preservation. She had never seen him act anything like this.

"Nora?" Gambol Shroud didn't do much. It did get the Grimm's attention. She ducked as the arm swung above her. "What happened?"

"Ren lost his home and parents."

That was what Nora said. Blake understood what she meant was that this thing was responsible for that.

But killing it here didn't change the fact it still existed on Remnant. Why would Ren want to fight it now? When he wasn't ready?

 _Would he ever be ready?_

Glancing at her friends, she saw that Nora had managed to get a cage that had not existed a few seconds ago around Ren. Trying to get through to Ren wasn't going to be easy, but Blake had faith that Nora could.

Blake then decided to bide time. The Grimm would focus on the most negative. That was Ren and Nora. So Blake needed a different approach.

Blake jumped onto the back of the horse when Nora had the humanoid looking in a different direction. She didn't have much time, so she aimed well and hit fast. Balancing as the horse bucked was simple, but the arms would only be avoided by jumping off. Dual wielding, she tried to hit hard.

She had to jump off within seconds, then ducked under the horse's kick. She couldn't see any damage.

The Grimm was focused on her.

Ren was frowning, but the glare was still there. Nora had a hand on his shoulder.

Blake changed her mind. She requested the Room to freeze the Grimm. To her relief, the Grimm paused as if someone had hit that button. It was unnerving even so.

Despite her instincts saying it was a bad idea, she turned her back on it to join Ren and Nora. She immediately turned back around when she did. It was still frozen.

Nora looked at her sadly and a little desperately.

Blake spoke. "Ren, this has to stop."

"This is different from your situation Blake."

"I know. But if you keep this up, you're going to die. So is Nora. So is anyone that is with you. Aren't you worth more than a reckless death?" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Would your parents want that?"

"I never met Ren's mother, but his father was a great man. I'm sure his mother was the same." Nora smiled softly at Ren. "They would be very proud of you."

Ren's fist clenched. He took a deep breath and sighed. "They raised me better than this."

Blake inwardly flinched. She didn't show it. Her parents had raised her better than this too. But that was for another time.

Nora just kept smiling gently. "They raised you very well."

Ren turned to her. He smiled. Genuinely. Calmly.

The Grimm unfroze. It screeched and neighed.

Then…it faded.

* * *

The Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade again.

This time, there were no students visiting and everyone Disapparated the second they appeared. The village was engulfed in flames, but there were no casualties.

Neville put the Daily Prophet down.

Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback were the only ones identified from the Hogsmeade Arson.

When he had seen the Dark Mark in the sky above Hogsmeade, Neville had wanted to head down there. Luna had refused to let him, constantly pushing him into passageways he didn't know existed to delay him. Constantly. While he didn't want to fling any spells at her, she didn't let up. Only after the Death Eaters had gone (although they apparently hadn't stuck around long and no Aurors or Hit Wizards bothered to show up with no life in danger) did she stop. By then, it was too late.

Professor Goodwitch had spoken to him then. Telling him that as much as he wanted revenge, he needed to consider that everyone had lost people to these monsters. He was not alone. He had more to live for than to die for.

Harry had lost his parents. He was going to step out of the war. He had also spoken to Neville after the Arson.

 **"My parents died so I could live. I'm not going to repay them by walking straight to my death."**

Neville sighed. He had been confused and angry before Harry said that. He had still been for quite a while afterwards.

He stopped when he arrived on the Third Floor. Harry had once told him there was a way into Honeyduke's from there (although they always left a note and the correct change or maybe a tip if they took sweets).

 _…Why not?_

The tunnel was a little trickier to get through than Harry suggested, but then the last time he used it he would have been smaller. Neville was a prefect, but his duties had decreased a little as the school year progressed. The First Years this year had taken everything well, or as well as they could.

Colin and Dennis had been very helpful. They and Luna had published a magazine that was great for those First Years. The animated snakes and ladders on each page to represent a floor of Hogwarts was incredible, though Neville wasn't sure who did the charm work. He thought it was Hermione.

 _Eerie._

There was no one around.

Neville hadn't been in Hogsmeade since the Inferi. Very few had unless they lived there. Now though…Now there was no one.

Just burned wood and devastated buildings.

Neville started walking. He didn't know where he was going. Eventually, he ended up outside the Three Broomsticks. Unlike the majority of the buildings, this one didn't even have the beams visible. Half was burned. Half was just gone.

"I'm very sure there shouldn't be anyone here."

Neville jumped and spun around. He hadn't heard anyone come up to him.

"Zephyr?"

"The one and only."

The missing Beacon student. There was something…different about him though. Neville couldn't place what.

"So Neville. What brings you out here? Not the best time for a stroll, especially around here." Neville didn't respond. "Or are you here for Bellatrix Watch?"

Neville didn't understand why Zephyr phrased it like that, but he got the message. "No luck finding her then?"

"Oh I've found her a few times. She just keeps running away from me. It's getting rather irritating."

Neville turned to stare at him. "Running away from you?"

"Her Cruciatus kept getting blocked and the one time she hit me with a Killing Curse, nothing happened." Zephyr chuckled rather merrily. "I would have loved to have a picture of the look on her face when that happened."

The fact that Zephyr was saying he survived a Killing Curse barely affected Neville. The fact that Bellatrix had run from him did. "She's crazy."

Zephyr tilted his head. "Believe me Neville. I've met worse."

Neville growled. "I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah, you have to meet them to believe it. Thank everything they didn't come here. No one would have gotten any peace. Bellatrix only uses two spells. They have…rather active imaginations." Zephyr sighed. "My apologies about your parents. I heard they are good people. Can't say the same about mine."

This was not the same Zephyr that Neville had met. Yet he didn't seem that different, except that he seemed to have grown disillusioned with life.

 _Or only now is he showing it._

What had caused this change?

"Thanks."

"Do you still have hope for their complete recovery?"

Neville didn't immediately answer. He stopped to carefully think about it. "I don't know."

"I know Ozpin was looking for counsellors when we arrived here, not that any of u-anyone had been willing to see one. I know a lot of Hogwarts students, especially muggleborns, saw some during the Christmas holidays."

Neville did know what a counsellor was. He didn't see how he had gone from one topic to the other. "So what?"

"Is it worth a counsellor seeing them? If magical medicine doesn't work and there's nothing physically wrong, maybe a psychologist could help. Or at least to cover all the bases."

The anger returned. "They're not some experiment!"

Zephyr didn't react. He just raised an eyebrow. "Any treatment for them is experimental. If someone using Legilimens can't do anything, maybe you need to allow them their privacy and try someone that actually understands mental problems."

"We do know about mental issues."

"Yet you don't know what causes a lot of them. Some people search for their spouses at family reunions. On top of that, why do parents keep sending their kids to Hogwarts? I've never heard of a better place to get your kids killed legally or train sociopaths. And don't get me started on the lack of morals that allows Azkaban to exist."

Zephyr was odd. He was uncaring and callous one moment, then very moral the next. What was with him?

 _Why did he leave? Was he the one that killed Umbridge?_

"Some people deserve Azkaban."

Zephyr laughed. This one was not joyful. "I agree. But anyone who deserves Azkaban is too dangerous to live and should be culled for the general population."

Neville would agree with that. If Bellatrix had been killed after the war, then they wouldn't be having this problem. If they had been stricter back then, then this war would not have had so many casualties.

 _Gran said the only reason the casualties are much lower now than in the last war was because the Death Eaters are getting killed. She approves. Do I?_

"Doesn't that make us as bad as them?"

Zephyr sighed. "And I had such high hopes for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Quick question: what if Bellatrix appeared right now? What would you do?"

"Fight her!"

"And? What then? Kill or incapacitate? Personally I would go with decapitate…"

Neville swallowed. It was one thing to say he would kill someone. It was another thing entirely to actually do it. He had seen a decapitated man here; the Inferi already destroyed.

That day was one that still haunted his nightmares.

"Please don't tell me you actually came out here for Bellatrix Watch."

"What's it to you?" Neville certainly wouldn't complain if she showed up.

"Sheesh. And Goodwitch thought you were one of her best students from Hogwarts. She would be very disappointed."

Neville didn't deny that made him feel guilty. But he replied icily. "She is responsible for what happened to my parents."

Zephyr's face went from mock sad to blank there. "You have a grandmother. You have friends. Yet you're willing to throw that away? For revenge?"

"They'll understand."

"Probably." The agreement threw him. "But I don't think they'll be happy. This does assume you will win and actually have the guts to go through with it. You weren't raised like that and you're not a psycho."

"Most of the people in the last war weren't. And then there are those that were bribed-"

"Think that they carry no blame. Yeah, we've had some _lovely_ chats about the complete lack of self-respect. At least most of the criminals I know actually admit it and those that tend to be bribed are usually blackmailed with family too. They have some standards."

Those scathing words cut through Neville's anger. He wasn't sure what took its place. "We're not all like that."

Zephyr shrugged. "All rules have exceptions. Maybe soon that rule will change."

"Bellatrix will die before that."

"Agreed. I bet quite a few people are going to dance on her grave. Or spit on it. Whatever floats their boat."

"Like you would know."

A flash of hatred crossed Zephyr's face. For a second, Neville thought he had gone too far. These guys were dangerous when provoked too much and he might have hit too close to home. But the expression passed.

"Don't go there Neville. I hated a guy so much that I wasn't satisfied he was dead. He passed onto his son. Think of Snape, but was hidden better. Difference is I learned the son wasn't the father and I'm still pissed he stole my kill."

Neville froze. "The son killed his father?"

Zephyr chuckled darkly. "This father did deserve it. His kill count was probably higher than Greyback's and all the Lestranges put together. Now, how many of his victim's families went looking for him, do you think?"

Neville swallowed.

"Oh and just so you know…Those that _did_ find him didn't last long. Do you want that to be you?"

"T-That's…That's…"

"Go back to your future Neville. Back to your friends and family. Leave the killing to the experts. She's one of the very few left. It won't be much longer. Your problem is to actually make sure you win the war and not just the final battle like last time."

* * *

Severus Snape was in a bad mood for a lot of reasons.

Dumbledore had gone on one of his excursions again and this time, he had dragged Severus out with him. The fact that Dumbledore had not told him where they were going and what they were doing did not improve his mood.

"A shack Albus?"

"Indeed. I expect it to be well protected. With any luck, we will find what we seek inside."

Severus did not bother to ask what they were seeking. Dumbledore would tell him when he wanted him to know. Instead, he raised his wand and performed the most complicated, yet most simple scan of the wards. The main point of this spell was that it would detect wards, although would not tell him which ones. However, it would also not trigger any wards that responded to scanning magic.

Severus may not be a Curse-Breaker, but he had spent much time learning Dark Arts and shields of protection, mostly because of the Marauders.

"There are nasty wards that would be very dangerous when triggered. However, I cannot find any triggers or alert wards." That seemed odd if there was something inside.

"Yes. He would not want to show his connection too openly." Dumbledore raised his wand and performed a few scans of his own. "I believe this is a test to ensure that whoever finds this place is powerful enough to be of interest."

Severus was no fool. Dumbledore may not have told him this concerned the Dark Lord, but it had not been difficult to deduce. He did not care for the actual connection. He cared only for results.

It was the main reason why he hated teaching. The children were dunderheads and had no skill for his art.

A green wave appeared to shatter around the 'house'. The wards were gone.

"Shall we?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus withheld a grumble. He did however walk forwards and do one more scan before attempting the door. It did not open, but a Blasting Hex corrected that.

There was nothing in the room inside, furniture or otherwise. A quick sweep found nothing of interest in the next room either.

The bedroom was the same.

Until a snake leapt out from a corner that he had not been able to see.

Severus immediately Vanished it. Another sprung from the darkness of the same corner. Another from the opposite corner that was unnaturally dark.

Severus did not panic. He was methodical in his attack. However, it made little difference. Much like the fireworks of those wasted Weasley Twins, these were never ending. Merely eliminating them did not stop their assault.

A Lumos spell did not illuminate any corners.

This was magic that had not been detected by any spells Severus had tried. He did not bother to question what the magic was. He merely needed to know how to defeat it.

The immediate course of action was to retreat from the room. There were fourteen snakes now, each around ten feet long. They followed swiftly. Now though, they were hampered by the limited space of the doorway.

"Albus, have you found anything of interest?" The two had split up when they entered the house to reduce the amount of time spent in dangerous territory.

"I have not. Have you had better luck Severus?"

"Yes." These snakes were protecting something. "Back out of the front door Albus. I need room."

"Very well."

The snakes followed, but did not leave the shack. Three remained visible from the doorway, but the others scattered around the room. Severus just made out one of them a second before it camouflaged itself against the wall. Even knowing it was there, he could no longer see it.

"These may be a problem. They are impervious to spells and those that are not are replaced too quickly."

"Level of spells?"

"Both grey and Dark magic." From Severus' experience, there was no such thing as 'light' magic. "When we find this object Albus, what is your plan for it?"

"I intend to destroy it."

Severus wished he had mentioned that earlier. "Then that may as well be done now." There was one spell he had not yet attempted. Focusing and clearing his mind, he cast.

Fiendfyre.

The effects were immediate. The snakes coiled as their flesh burned, dying in seconds. There did not appear to be any reinforcements from the bedroom, but Severus did not wish to take any chances. He was very careful to avoid setting the walls on fire as he intended to inspect the remains of the object Dumbledore was searching for. He focused the flames into the bedroom itself.

At first, the spell went well. Severus frowned when he thought he heard an unholy screech, but the song of the flames made it difficult.

The problem came when he ended the spell.

The spell didn't end.

The flames whirled around itself. The swirling flames should have put itself out, but it did not. Instead, it focused into a shape and was in no doubt hostile. The roaring inferno continued to spread out, easily engulfing the shack and collapsing it.

The fire should have died out when Severus ended the spell; he had never gotten it wrong before. Now though, he was facing a huge flaming snake.

 _This doesn't make sense. Whatever caused this, the Fiendfyre should have destroyed._

Within a second, the snake leaned back and snapped forward.

Severus did not raised a defence in time.

Dumbledore did.

With a swipe of his wand, the snake was knocked aside. The grass did not catch fire. Despite not expecting it to work, Severus Conjured the most powerful Aguamenti Charm he could. As expected, the snake was not affected in the slightest. It still maintained the properties of Fiendfyre.

How then was it supposed to be destroyed?

The wind picked up. It began to swirl around the wizards and the snake. Soon, it could no longer be called wind but a tornado. The sound biting to the ears, the swirl passed through the wizards as if they were not there; focusing entirely on the unnatural serpent.

The snake hissed angrily. Its jaws snapped forward. The only effect was it backing up again, shaking its head almost in pain.

"Severus, take control," Dumbledore ordered almost stiffly. "Keep it contained."

Severus took a deep breath and focused. He focused his magic on the tornado, mimicking its rhythm before taking control. He kept the pace the same, but the strain was immense. He was greatly tempted to slow the speed. He narrowed his eyes and continued as ordered no matter how much his arm shook.

It was only needed for a few seconds.

Like a waterfall, the clear liquid cascaded over the creature. Hissing, steaming and thrashing, it eventually collapsed. A final simmer and the fire died. Nothing remained.

"Albus," Severus panted with a slight shake in his voice. "What just happened?" He had not been this confused and terrified since he tried to use Legilimency on Mercury Black during the Tournament and found himself face-to-face with a huge dragon.

 _I was lucky to escape without harm that day, just like I was here. I got no answer for that a year ago but I had better get an answer now!_

"My apologies Severus. I never would have expected that to happen. Fiendfyre is normally effective against the object we are seeking."

He may not have asked before, but after that impossible feat, Severus wanted to know. "And what exactly are we seeking?"

"An item of the heaviest Dark magic you cannot possibly imagine." Dumbledore walked forward purposefully once more. "As such, I wish to be completely sure it is destroyed."

"You should have mentioned that at the beginning."

"I should have."

This was Dumbledore's most infuriating habit: answering a question without answering the question. He was definitely investigating what exactly had caused that to happen.

The bedroom no longer existed. The seared floorboards were all that was left and those had collapsed into a dip in the earth. However, there was one that was leaning at an odd angle. There was something underneath it.

The box had been destroyed.

For some bizarre reason, there was no damage to a stone that had been within. There was metal around it that suggested it used to be more, but now the stone was all that was left.

"A…stone?" Severus was certainly surprised it wasn't at least cracked. He had expected everything to have melted. "Is this what you were searching for?"

Dumbledore's face seemed to pale. He took one step forward, rather hesitantly. This was a stark contrast to his behaviour earlier. The stone was obviously special if it survived a Fiendfyre, but why was Dumbledore so shaken to see it?

"Albus?"

That snapped him a little out of his stupor. His steps were no more certain, but they were quicker. He did not Levitate the stone to him, but knelt down to pick it up.

"Our job is done here Severus. This is a temptation. Life and death's temptation."

Severus chose not to press that statement. He was honestly too tired to. This day had been odd from the very beginning to the end. It had been some time since he had seen Dumbledore look his true age, but he did not wish for it to continue.

Rather than return to Hogwarts, Severus Apparated to Spinner's End. As bad as the habit was, he was going to have his first Firewhiskey in fifteen years.

 _Not long now Lily._

* * *

"Ah."

"That wasn't supposed to happen."

Fred and George had been experimenting with the Portable Swamp in one of the abandoned passageways (after warning the others to stay away). They had accidentally mixed in some of their firework powder, which had resulted in sparks skipping across the water.

"Well that is a bust."

"Now we just need to figure out how to take it down without multiplying it."

"…Can you remember _which_ powder was mixed in?"

"I didn't see it."

"That leaves one option."

"Eh, we never needed Snape taught Potions anyway."

They were skiving Potions but this was their NEWT year, so they wouldn't get expelled. It just meant the exploding cauldron would have to be blamed on someone else (the detention was inevitable and not worth thinking on). It wasn't as if their talent in Potions came from Snape anyway.

It took one hour to determine which mistake they had made and another hour to figure out the exact spell sequence they needed to remove it. It was an unspoken agreement not to put this on the market.

Many of their products had sold well by owl order. They had raised enough galleons to repay Harry for the start-up money for their shop from that alone (even if they had never expected that and Harry himself had refused it). A portion of this money went into the Ministry's DMLE (and boy did they hope Percy never found out) while the rest went into their creations.

Leaving the passageway, they headed to the Third Floor corridor that had been out of bounds in their Third Year. The Twins had seriously considered asking Ron to get past the chess set, but neither of them would (willingly) put their little brother in danger.

In hindsight, the trick with the spider when he was very young was in very poor taste.

This area had become a study chamber for all the Houses. It was an open secret in the school. Unlike in the library, here they could mix indiscriminately without fear of repercussion from their worst Housemates. There were currently nine students here: four First Years, two Second Years, a Fourth Year and two Seventh Years currently acting as tutors.

One First Year, a Slytherin, was currently struggling with deciphering a Potions book. The Twins took a seat either side of him.

"So young friend-"

"What's the problem?"

He smiled a little nervously before pointing to a paragraph in the book. "Well, we're going to be brewing a potion for our end of the year exams and I don't which and I don't understand. I mean, Hector accidentally turned the boil curer into a boil causer in our first lesson and I don't know how and things like that have been happening all throughout the year."

"Don't worry little one…"

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"Boil curer into a boil causer…"

"It happens every year. It was one of us as I remember."

"Can't remember which one though."

The boy's smile became a little more relaxed when he realised the problems were normal. "B-But I don't understand why. And what if he sets something we haven't done yet?"

"Wouldn't put it past the greasy git," Fred agreed.

"So here's a few tips," George grinned.

Teaching wasn't something the Twins planned on doing. Ever. Except maybe teach one class to give Professor Minnie a terrifying surprise. Still, covering old bases helped with their new plans and there was no harm in helping someone a little.

That Hufflepuff First Year would have made a good apprentice, but she needed a few standards first. At least the Love Potion Incident actually made the entire school sit up and take notice. It still made the Twins shudder.

 _At least they picked people who deserved it. Ourselves included._

"Now, clockwise and anticlockwise…"

"One mixes the ingredients and the other combines them." Always bring spare parchment or paper when studying. They were great for animations and notes.

"Clockwise equals mix. Anticlockwise is combine."

"Ever baked a cake the good way?" The boy nodded in response to George.

"You're right handed, so it's easier to do it anticlockwise."

"Think of what happens when you add milk…"

"Sugar…"

"And egg. Depending on what you're making, not necessarily in that order."

"You stir anticlockwise and what do you get?"

The boy's eyes lit up as he understood. "You get the tasty stuff that mum won't let me eat."

"Tell me about it."

"But it's all one thing. The same throughout."

"While mix is like mixing sugar, sweetener and salt."

"It looks normal…"

"But no matter how much you stir…"

"It is still sugar, sweetener and salt."

Their mother may not want them in the pranking business, but maybe that was because she thought there was no profit in it. Maybe they should switch the third bedroom and the kitchen over. A bigger kitchen would be nicer.

* * *

Sirius was beginning to dread going to Hogwarts now. This idea was nothing but bad news. He did not like it, but the alternate was far worse.

But Harry had the right to decide.

 _He is really not going to be happy about this. I do wonder which part he is going to be unhappier about._

Harry knew that Sirius needed to talk to him in the Room of Requirement at some point after his final OWL exam but before the school year ended. While he was annoyed Sirius hadn't given an exact reason, he was curious enough not to ask questions at the time.

Now though, he wanted answers.

Sirius was just reluctant to give them to him.

Dumbledore had actually found the cave Kreacher described, but had found no Inferi in the lake. The most likely answer was Glynda's suggestion: they were in Hogsmeade that day. This did bring up the question of what Riddle had done with the other horcruxes he could reach.

Regulus had not been among them.

Amelia didn't know about the horcruxes. Her focus had been on the dwindling Death Eaters that (most) had finally learned that muggle baiting was very bad for their health. The American mercenaries had been ferreting out those in hiding and she had found one Auror passing on information (who managed it in a way he had deniability) to Zephyr, who seemed perfectly happy to be a contract killer.

It was hard to argue with methods that worked with someone who probably wouldn't even be here if the previous methods worked.

 _But Zephyr? It's really hard to see him as a killer. It's hard to see any of them as killers, even if I know at least two of them are._

Harry arrived an hour before curfew. His last exam had been History of Magic earlier that day. That had been one he was a little worried about it as he didn't think it covered as important recent events and so had found it hard to study.

When it came to goblins, expect them to charge slightly overpriced, be fair business men and never get on their bad side.

"Hi Harry. How did it go?"

Harry shrugged. "Could have been worse. I think I got the names and most of the dates. I'll be happy with a pass, to be honest."

"I'm sure you did fine."

"Fine maybe. I don't think I did great."

"No point worrying about it now."

That brought a slight smile. It vanished too quickly. "So why are you here Sirius? What couldn't wait?"

Sirius sighed. He ran through things inside his head and couldn't think of a 'good' way to say it. He asked the Room for a few comfortable chairs and it provided. He took one and Harry took the other. He hesitated for another moment.

"Sirius…?"

"Harry, do you remember when Mercury scanned your scar?"

"Yes…?"

"Do you remember what he said? That it was linked to Riddle and was important to his life?"

"Yeah. When he dies, it'll be gone."

Harry genuinely believed that. Sirius hated shattering that illusion. But how to tell him? "Do you know why Qrow calls him 'Silvertongue'?"

"Because Mercury has problems with the words 'father and son'."

Well, that was true, Sirius thought. He had picked up enough from their casual conversation that Mercury hadn't gotten along with his blood father. "Yes." Now he thought about it… "You two are closer than most think, aren't you?"

Harry nodded slightly. "He's a bit of a jerk, but a fun one. He also doesn't mind explaining things that most people seem to think I should just know." Neglect and isolation did have problems. "Are you saying he lied to me?"

"Not lied Harry. The name stuck before it became more. Apparently, he has a habit of downplaying situations or deliberately phrasing it to suggest something else."

Harry frowned. "You mean…" He trailed off, but he had caught the implications.

This was the difficult part. "What he implied Harry, wasn't what he meant. I really took him to task about it and he didn't take that lying down. He pointed out if you knew all of it, you wouldn't rest." Sirius did not care that he had a point. He had wanted to tell Harry the truth from the start.

"What are you talking about? Rest until what? Are you saying there's something even more off about my scar?"

"There is Harry. It is linked to Riddle, but not the way you were thinking. As long as the connection is there, Riddle cannot die."

Harry froze. His expression was of sheer confusion, with a little horror.

"Horcruxes are objects that store a piece of a soul Harry. Riddle made a number of them and we've been destroying them. The diary is one of them. Your scar is a little different from that, but it is one."

There. It was out in the open.

It took Harry a few goes to get the words out of his mouth. "I-I have a piece of Riddle in me?"

"In your scar," Sirius corrected. "Not in you."

"B-But-What difference does that make? Can you get rid of it? What's different about my scar?"

Sirius chose to answer the easy question first. "The one in your scar isn't active. It can't possess you or really do anything. It's just there."

"But you can get rid of it?"

Sirius swallowed. "I don't know Harry. Before Nagini, no one had ever put a horcrux in a living creature. Nagini was killed after the horcrux jumped into a different vessel, otherwise we would have needed Fiendfyre or the Killing Curse to kill her."

"So you can't get it out of me the same way?"

"It did that on its own. The one in you isn't active. I don't think we can force it anywhere. As it's in your scar and not in you, it's not going to fade away when you die."

Harry's expression calmed. "So what's the plan? We can't leave it in me."

"No." Sirius took a deep breath. "So far, we have two options. One is for you to get hit by another of Riddle's Killing Curses-"

"Not going to happen," Harry cut in. "What's the other option?"

"The other option is to drop Basilisk venom directly into the scar."

There was a brief silence.

"Am I supposed to die in both of these options?"

Sirius growled, but not at Harry. "No. The Killing Curse may not work on you because Riddle may have given you a link to life by taking your blood. However, there is also the risk Riddle wouldn't use a Killing Curse if he saw you."

Harry said nothing. He merely nodded and waited. Almost patiently.

"Now, Basilisk venom in your scar should not get in your bloodstream. Fawkes has promised to donate tears, but there's no guarantee our plan will work. Magic is about intent and, as Glynda pointed out, our record keeping is not great, so what Salazar Slytherin was really thinking when he put a Basilisk in the school we will never know. However, Riddle setting it on you made it a weapon wielded by him. It should count in the same way a Killing Curse from Riddle should."

Harry still didn't say anything.

"I will say now that if you choose not to do anything and leave it as it is, I won't push it. It's your life and I'll stand by your decision."

"It needs to come out Sirius," was Harry's almost immediate response. "Best to get it out of the way now. There's never going to be a good time later, especially if I actually die."

Harry was taking this much better than Sirius feared. He tried to ignore the final word Harry said. "Dumbledore says he's been searching for years to try to find another way-"

"He knew?!"

"He did. He doesn't know any way to get rid of it other than the Killing Curse theory."

Harry glared. He shook his head and calm appeared again. "I don't fancy another showdown with Riddle. I'm fifteen against someone who has over fifty years of experience and Dark Arts behind him. No chance. So Basilisk. All you're doing is dropping one drop in my scar?"

"Yes. If needed, we have Fawkes. There is still a huge risk though Harry."

"I know. I want it gone more."

"Harry, this is not something to just jump into. There's a very good chance-"

 _Chance?_

Sirius pulled out his mirror. "Branwen." With five different surnames, they had decided to use Qrow's. Much simpler that way.

 _Maybe I should ask Qrow to talk to Remus. His Semblance was active all the time before that present and he is still enough of a presence for them to think of him as a father figure. Remus lets his three night a month problem define him. Harry case in point._

Three seconds later, Emerald picked it up. "Hello Sirius. How have you been?"

"Eh, been better. Quick question Emerald: does Ruby have any of that Felix Felicis left?"

Harry's eyebrows hit the roof. He moved his chair so he was sitting next to Sirius instead of opposite him. " _That_ is what she was working on all this time? And she actually _did_ it?"

"She did," Emerald replied proudly. "As far as I know, there's some left under a stasis charm. We didn't use much. You can have some if you need it. Ask Winky to fetch it. She knows where it is."

"Emerald, what happened to that Runespoor you guys came across?"

 _Seems Harry still keeps in contact with them. Good for him. Runespoor? Must be a baby. No way could they hide an adult. But America? They shouldn't be there…_

"Well, he's with us at the moment. Talaria can communicate with him, so we haven't had a big problem. As to what next…" Emerald shrugged. "We don't know."

"Don't suppose you could give him to me?"

Harry wanted a pet snake. This was a far cry from the Second Year boy that had been described to Sirius. A boy that was now growing into his own man.

"That would solve the problem. As much as we like the species, we don't really want him."

Sirius added on here. "You would need a license for him Harry, but you should be fine otherwise. Parseltongue would actually help you here."

"There would really be no problems?" Harry asked, slightly sceptical.

Emerald piped up there. "No one seemed to care when Hagrid broke the law with those damn Skrewts."

She did have a point there. He had only avoided Azkaban (again) because Dumbledore found out about them and pushed them into the Tournament. The rumour was that they were bred specifically for the Tournament to lower costs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This was what caused Blake to snap at him. Sirius didn't know exactly what she said, but it had had the desired effect. Hagrid had toned down his classes and no more experimenting.

"You'll be fine Harry," Sirius promised. There weren't many laws on owning dangerous animals in Britain. If there weren't any incidents, the Ministry couldn't care less. "Does he still have all three heads?"

"At the moment. Talaria's broken up two fights so far. She's getting rather annoyed about it and we would rather keep her than him. Speak of the-Hang on…" She disappeared from the mirror for a few seconds. She reappeared with a roll of the eyes. "Make that three fights."

"What are they arguing over?" Harry asked. This was rather off topic, but since Harry was becoming more relaxed, Sirius didn't interrupt.

"According to Talaria, whether to try to leave or not. We've got him in a large tank at the moment since we have no idea where he came from and we are in a muggle neighbourhood." So they needed a way to hide him on short notice. "While he can't get out, it is the topic that comes up the most. It's also the most sensible one."

Both Harry and Sirius chuckled.

"I have no idea how to get a Runespoor from here to Britain. I'll check my end."

"And I'll check mine," Sirius replied. "Thanks Emerald."

"No worries. See you later."

"Bye," Harry responded.

The mirror image vanished and the two were staring at their reflections.

"A snake Harry?" Sirius asked, almost teasingly.

"Why not?"

"You do know how big they grow, right?"

"Extension charms on its habitat so it's bigger on the inside than the outside." Then he frowned. "Do you think that the horcrux is the reason I can speak Parseltongue?"

Sirius thought about that. "Possibly. Or it is possible that you do have some Slytherin blood in you somewhere from your father's side. Most do if they look back far enough." The Gaunts had married their relatives they _knew_ had Slytherin blood. Insane nutters.

"And the horcrux caused the ability to become…what was the word?" Harry tapped his finger. "Dormant? No, dominant. Dormant was the other one."

Harry had been reading Emerald's books. "Possibly. But I think you would still have it." Sirius had had a brief look through them as well and the information on a 'gene pool' explained a lot about their Pureblood Supremacy and why it wouldn't work.

"Let's find out," was Harry's simple reply.

It took a few seconds for that to register with Sirius. He sighed. "Harry-"

"I want it dealt with now Sirius."

Stubbornness. Sirius wasn't sure whether to be pleased or annoyed at him currently standing up to him. He wouldn't deny he was proud.

Fawkes flamed in, resting on Harry's knee. He chirped gently.

"Hi Fawkes." The phoenix always brought a smile to Harry's face. "Will you help us?"

Fawkes nodded. He began to sing. His wings spread and he flew around the room once before settling on a perch made of silver.

Winky popped in then. She was holding a small bottle in her hand. "This enough sir?"

Sirius nodded. "Thanks Winky." He took the vial. "Thanks a lot."

She bowed and popped away.

Harry took the vial from Sirius' unresisting fingers. Sirius didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Neither did Harry, but he wanted it gone. He wanted a future without the worry of Riddle and if he was standing in the way of that…

Harry swallowed it down. "Huh. It feels…odd. A good odd but odd." It should last about three hours; more than enough time. He grabbed some parchment from his bag and scribbled a note before using a very mild Cutting Charm on his finger, healing it after the drop of blood hit the bottom. He had learned his lessons from Sirius well. "Dobby."

Dobby appeared. "Yes Master Harry Potter?"

"Would you mind taking this to the goblins? Then remove a preserved Basilisk fang from my vault when they authorise it."

"Yes Master Harry Potter."

Harry let out a nervous chuckle as the elf popped away. "And here I thought I would only need the armour."

Sirius tried one more attempt to deter him. "Harry, both these ideas are stupid."

"I agree Sirius. But I want this thing gone."

Dobby popped in. He carefully placed the remarkably large fang onto an appearing table, along with a pair of gloves that Sirius had never seen before. He didn't care to ask where Dobby got them.

"So right now?"

"Yes."

"In here? I don't think either of us want to get on Madam Pomfrey's bad side."

Harry actually winced there. "Umm…I think this is a case of asking for forgiveness than asking for permission. Or maybe not telling her at all when it goes well. That would probably be a better idea."

"Right." Sirius wasn't convinced.

A bed not too dissimilar to the ones in the Hospital Wing appeared. Sirius didn't comment on Harry's choice. He hadn't been happy to hear that Harry had spent so much of his time in one of these that Madam Pomfrey was going to reserve one for him. Especially when so few had been for Quidditch related injuries.

Harry lay down on it, his hand flicking his fringe aside from where he usually had it to hide his scar. That habit hadn't changed.

Sirius slipped the gloves on very uneasily. If Harry was going to agree to a plan, he suspected he would pick the 'Basilisk venom' plan, but he had thought Harry would take some time to think about it. He definitely wasn't expecting him to insist on doing it right now.

 _This could kill him._

Sirius really didn't want to do this.

However, he wasn't convinced Harry wouldn't do it on his own at some point now he knew about it and he refused to let Harry go through it alone.

Fawkes let out an encouraging trill. He spread his wings and flew onto the head side pole. Ready to do his part.

"It'll be fine Sirius," Harry said.

"That's the potion talking," was Sirius' response. He wasn't expecting that potion to do much, if anything.

"No it's not."

Sirius didn't bother arguing with him. He took a good look at Harry's scar. It was odd. It looked open, but it wasn't bleeding even though it looked like it should be. When Sirius traced the scar, he couldn't actually feel it.

Harry didn't comment on the act.

The fang was large; a testament to the size of the creature it came from.

 ** _"Let's match the power of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin, against the famous Harry Potter."_**

Sirius had a lot of problems with that claim. However, he hoped the intent made this a suitable substitute for a Killing Curse. Both were only theories, so this could be entirely wrong.

The fang was picked up. The venom was still on it.

Sirius swallowed. He lowered the fang very close to the cursed scar. Almost touching. It did not touch any skin.

The drop slid down the bone.

Sirius could move it away. He should. This could kill Harry.

The drop landed on the scar. The line in the middle.

Sirius backed off a little, dropping the fang onto a table that had not been there a moment before, and sat next to Harry. Waiting.

At first, nothing happened. Harry was not bothered at all.

Then the scar changed colour. Red to black. It seemed to simmer. Harry was still relaxed. There was no sound as the lines almost became smoky. Black to grey to black again.

Harry closed his eyes. He was still relaxed.

"Harry?"

"I know what I'm doing Sirius. I've locked it in the greenhouse too well."

That did not soothe Sirius at all. The only thing that did was that Harry wasn't in any pain.

One minute passed.

The scar turned red again.

 _Is that a good or bad thing?_

Fawkes almost glowed. He leaned over and one tear fell onto the red scar.

It vanished.

The scar vanished.

 _Did that just-? Does that mean…?_

Harry opened his eyes. He rubbed his temples, his glasses getting knocked askew for a moment. He put his hand down and looked at Sirius almost desperately.

"Is it gone?"

Sirius swallowed. "Yeah. It's gone."

Harry let out a long breath and leaned back into the bed. "Sirius, would you check my mind? I can't find anything, but I want to be sure."

"Sure thing." That would ease Sirius' nerves. If the essence was truly gone, then the horcrux had been destroyed and would never bother Harry again. He would be completely free to live his life.

He waited until Harry was comfortable. Once Harry nodded his head, Sirius raised a hand. " _Legilimens_."

 _As expected, he started in the Entrance Hall. Sirius immediately turned around and headed outside. The greenhouses was where Harry had sealed the essence. They were still there, but the door on one was open. He searched inside, but there was nothing. No damage either._

 _Sirius then headed to the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The entrance was closed. When Sirius touched the right sink, it opened up. He sensed that Harry had allowed that. It didn't look like it had been forced. There was nothing in the tunnels and Sirius couldn't sense anything off. He was very familiar with Harry's magical signature by now and so knew that something wasn't off._

 _A quick check of the dungeons produced the same results. The Basilisk had allowed him to pass without problem._

 _With every important storage area checked and nothing amiss, Sirius systematically checked the entire Hogwarts mindscape. From Sirius' point of view, it took hours. He wouldn't care if it took days. If there was something here that shouldn't be, he would find it._

 _Very fortunately, there was nothing to find._

 _Three searches of the mindscape and Sirius was finally convinced. He withdrew and ended the spell._

"It's gone Harry," Sirius reported. The weight of those words almost made him laugh. "It's gone."

Harry smiled. He did laugh. "You know Sirius…I don't think Madam Pomfrey needs to hear about this."

"Oh yes she is, though we may want to edit the story a little. Just to be very safe."

Harry pouted very childishly.

That made Sirius laugh.

Even Fawkes seemed to chuckle.

* * *

 **The horcrux in Harry seemed a little contradictory in canon. If Harry needed to embrace death and get hit by a Killing Curse, then why did Dumbledore block it in book 5? The question about him getting stabbed by the fang in Second Year was explained by 'not being in him long enough and being in the wrong place'. It seemed to me that much of what happened in book 7 was due to the Deathly Hallows and not due to the horcruxes.**

 **The underlying theme in Harry Potter is love. I have tried to keep that. This Harry is influenced more by family love. Family is a recurring theme, not only in this fic, but in the fic's series. That is why much of the time is focused on the Branwen/Xiao Long/Rose family. I was always sad that Harry lost most of his family before he got to know them.**

 **Sometimes, I wonder if JK had too much symbolism over reality. That said, a lot of the stories I like reading do too.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	22. Hello and Goodbye

**In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

Sirius could have just asked Dumbledore to meet him somewhere else. However, this was a meeting with the Hogwarts Headmaster, so he supposed the school was suitable. As he was Harry's guardian first (and the politics for that had been both easy and hard) and Hit Wizard second, Amelia gave him his days off today and tomorrow.

He and Harry was moving to their new house tomorrow. If he hadn't had everything sorted (not that either of them really had too much), then he would have reorganised this meeting. Now, the two were just counting down the hours.

 _At least the furniture is already sorted and up._

Sirius was half expecting this to descend into a shouting match. He was also expecting to be told a number of things that Dumbledore would not be willing to say otherwise. At least he was sure it wouldn't end in violence.

 _Hopefully._

"Munchies," Sirius said to the gargoyle. The kids had taken to calling Death Eaters the name 'Death Munchers', taking a lot of the fear away. That password did put him in a good mood.

From the second Sirius stepped into the room, he knew something was different.

Dumbledore seemed a lot more stressed and a little…The only word Sirius could think of was 'depressed'.

"Dumbledore?"

He looked up. "Ah, Sirius. You're early." He gestured to the empty chair, which Sirius took.

"I did grow out of that bad habit." When he was young, he arrived late for everything. Unlike most other students, it had always been intentional. "Rough day?"

"A rough few weeks," Dumbledore admitted. "It would not be incorrect to say it has been a rough few years."

Harry's experiences at Hogwarts would certainly agree with that. Deciding not to tread on old ground, Sirius didn't comment on that.

"You wanted to discuss Harry's withdrawal from Hogwarts." His letter had been clear on that. He had said he wanted to talk to Harry, but Harry hadn't wanted to. Sirius had offered to go in his place and Harry had gratefully agreed.

"I did. Can I ask what he intends to do now?"

"He intends to continue his magical education, but he also wants to study some muggle subjects as well. So far, he's leaning towards a potion ingredients gatherer." Travelling was a big reason for that. He was currently looking at magical tents that were best for rougher conditions.

"That is good to hear." Dumbledore sighed. "There's nothing that can convince him to return to Hogwarts?"

"Personally Dumbledore, I don't think so. This past year after Umbridge's death was good, but he's decided his future lies elsewhere."

"Then I would like to discuss how to handle the press without damaging Harry."

Sirius winced. No one was going to like the Boy-Who-Lived leaving Hogwarts. "We're working on that. We don't want Hogwarts to suffer, but even I know people won't see it that way." And the general public seemed to think that Harry owed them everything, when in reality they owed him.

"I'm sure Harry has done remarkably well on his OWLs, so that cannot be used against him. A potion ingredients gatherer is likely to take him out of the country, so that might. How is he advertising the company he is going to start?"

"A silent partner at first until he started to contribute more than just money."

Dumbledore nodded. "I am not going to tell Harry how to live his life and I know he can handle negativity directed at him." Sirius glared at him, but did not interrupt. "I am also sure he will give Severus a heart attack with his choice of career."

Sirius' glare did fade a little at that and a chuckle escaped. "What happens to Snape after Riddle's dead?"

"Whatever he wishes. However, I do expect he will resign. He never enjoyed teaching."

"You don't say." Sirius took a deep breath. "Harry plans to leave a message in the Quibbler and he is talking it over with some who have…experience in that area."

"Apollo Cassandra and Luna Lovegood, I presume?"

"Yes. Now, back to Riddle. The horcrux is gone. Is there anything else I need to know? Now would be the time. We're planning to try and wrap this up as soon as possible. Hopefully this summer."

"In his desperation, Riddle may become unpredictable, especially if he realises that he has lost most of his horcruxes. How do you intend to fight him?"

"With the horcruxes gone, he is mortal. Anyone can kill him."

"I am sure you are aware Harry is prophesised to kill him."

Sirius' eyes hardened once more. "I don't care. I am _not_ relying on a prophecy. They are flimsy at the best of times and insane at worst."

Dumbledore met his eyes. "Would you like to listen to it?"

"No." The response was immediate. "Because if I hear it, I won't be able to unhear it. I never did believe in Divination." He would also spend an inhuman amount of time second-guessing himself. He did not want that.

"Perhaps that would for the best. Allow death to be uncertain. Perhaps that is why some people live so much every day."

With the life Sirius had, he would agree with that. "I was no saint when I was a student Headmaster, but it was the first time I could do what I wanted to who I wanted without consequences. Now I see what any kind of abuse does to people, I am quite angry with my younger self. I spent twelve years in Azkaban, but I was not an innocent man of everything." Sirius sighed, much of his anger gone. He was just drained now. "After all this, I'm taking a long holiday with Harry."

Albus mirrored his sigh. "I believe I will do the same, although I think I will have to tell Harry everything the next time I see him, even if it is in a few years."

"He'll never forgive you if you don't."

* * *

Cinder was waiting in a common pub, intrigued. This was the first time that Mercury had sent her a message saying he wanted to meet with her and had chosen a very public place just like she had. She had no doubt he was following orders, but she had been under the impression that they had wanted nothing to do with her.

What then had changed their minds?

As expected, Mercury showed up on time and alone. There was something physically off about him, but Cinder could not understand what. She filed it away for later.

"This is an unexpected surprise."

"Couldn't really be helped," Mercury shrugged as he took the seat opposite her.

"And what makes you think I have the information you are after?" He had not been specific on what he wanted.

"It's not really information per se we want. What we want you'll already have."

Cinder chuckled. "And who is 'we' Mercury?"

"Everyone who wants to go back to Remnant. Which is honestly all of us by now."

"Even you?"

"Even me," he sighed, a little too exaggerated to be completely sincere. "Are you included in that?"

It honestly didn't take much consideration. "I suppose I am." It was no secret she was not interested in the slightest in the Wizarding World, but it was their key to returning. Therefore, there was no reason to lie. "If you are not interested in new information, what do you want?"

"To start, I want to clarify something. Zephyr told me who your source was. Are you completely sure she's reliable and how far is she willing to go?"

Cinder had given this much thought, both at the time they first met and after Narcissa's husband died, which was the most recent time. She was a little annoyed with herself for dismissing Draco when she first saw him other than his scar and therefore not recognising him later in the pub. "Her only option for a living and not just surviving in shame is to cooperate. I am sure she is reliable. While she is not willing to kill, she is willing to lie to the 'man' himself." The word 'man' was spoken with slight emphasis.

Mercury nodded slightly. "I told you we wanted something from someone's vault. That hasn't changed. Still, the fact that the 'man' has not been seen since his stint at the prison is a bit of a problem. They have a way of hiding themselves so that we would never find them."

"You need to draw them out."

"We have bait that is willing to step into a trap, provided that the trap is very heavily biased in our favour and he's talking about _our_ standards, not _theirs_. However, there is no guarantee our prey is going to come along at all."

That was a problem. Ironically, it was a problem Cinder was currently trying to solve with a very different target in mind.

"How do I feature in this?"

"Do you know if he's still interested in a little glass orb?"

It took Cinder a moment to connect the dots to what he was really asking. "Yes. He believes it is a key to his victory. If it weren't for the checks in the lobby, then he would have tried disguise."

Mercury chuckled. "His mugshot is rather unique." His finger tapped the table as he thought. "From what you got from your source, would he go for it?"

It was not difficult to deduce their bait was a person. If that person was willing to be bait, then there were more possibilities and a lower chance of them messing something up, deliberately or otherwise. "How enticing would both baits be?"

"I would like to say very. A more competent government actually works against us now though."

The Prophecy Room had been in the heart of their government. It had confused Cinder at the time how easily a complete stranger had managed to get out with no questions asked, especially as she never entered. If security had improved and prophecies were as key as this seemed to suggest, the room would be heavily guarded.

"What are his current forces?" Mercury asked.

"The key ones are Bellatrix Lestrange, who Zephyr wants you to track as that is your job," Mercury shrugged in agreement, "Peter Pettigrew, who will mostly be willing to live the rest of his life as a rat and Antonin Dolohov. I can confirm that Rookwood didn't survive long after his Apparation from his last battle."

"That's literally all that's left?"

"They are the ones that are willing to be martyrs. Goyle is willing to fight magicals, but he is aware that either you or Qrow Branwen killed Crabbe with injuries they could not treat."

Her suspicions were confirmed when he answered.

"Dust rounds from Qrow. They really shouldn't have been laughing at zombies ripping apart kids with normal people around, especially with one as very obviously pissed off as he was."

Dust in the bloodstream was dangerous, fatal if not treated correctly and swiftly. It was a pity that the black Dust in Mercury was gone, but black was the only colour that did no obvious damage, unless the possession occurred.

She had heard about the zombie incident and had been surprised, if not a little annoyed, that she had left only minutes before. It would have been an excellent opportunity to test control over her pyrokinesis with very specific targets.

"He would immediately leave if either of you appeared, along with most others. There are few others and all of them are too afraid of their leader to defect. However, they are not willing to be martyrs to their cause." Now their actions had consequences, their bloodlust had been reduced greatly.

Mercury hummed. "Estimated numbers?"

"No more than twenty, to-be-martyrs included." Even numbers that small could be a big issue.

Then Mercury smiled. "Don't suppose they still read the newspaper?"

Cinder smiled. "That idea has merit. However, they only read the Daily Prophet, not the Quibbler."

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Then here are a few suggestions."

Ozpin may be experienced at fighting from the shadows but with the Grimm, it was always against his best interest to invite the enemy into any sort of trap without a very high risk of it backfiring. It was Cinder's opinion that negativity was what was necessary here.

* * *

Talaria watched the sisters as they prepared. She turned her head to Mercury and hissed.

"Yeah, I don't like this either." That was why he wasn't getting involved.

Ruby had had the 'fantastic' idea of playing twister with rules of grandma's footsteps (apparently a very small children's game) with musical statues thrown in and those were only the rules he understood. What Yang was currently planning with the normal chess pieces and checker counters he really didn't care.

Emerald looked just as confused and exasperated as he felt and she normally had much more enthusiasm for this.

 _Yet we're used to this sort of thing. At least this little game isn't going to bring the house down, unlike the firework connect four. I think Zwei is the only reason Yang couldn't find the matches. Good dog._

Talaria shook her head before flying out of the room. Now he thought about it, they had left the reptile on his own. That boat trip back had been eventful at least. It was one thing to read about magical animals; it was another to actually see them. They were beautiful.

Featherdance had been happy to see them at least.

 _Hope Harry brings Hedwig. I wonder how possessive she is of 'her' wizard._

Why was Yang now spreading string in a circle?

Mercury glanced at Emerald a little nervously. Emerald smiled slightly, looked at the open door and back to him. Her smile grew a little wider. She had no interest in leaving.

It was at times like this he wished he had his scroll so he could add this video to his collection.

On the other hand, his survival instincts and past experiences were telling him to get out of this room because something was going to explode. He had no idea how or what, but he just knew.

His ears caught voices at the end of the hallway. It was Nora and Harry.

Mercury was in luck. The Runespoor hated Nora and she had reluctantly agreed not to go anywhere near him. This he could use. He glanced at Emerald. "I'm going to introduce Harry to his new friend."

Emerald chuckled quietly. "If the room comes down, find me first."

"Will do." He swiftly slipped from the room, mostly closing the door behind him.

Harry had Hedwig riding on his shoulder. The owl was calm and Harry was laughing. With his shoulders shaking, Mercury wasn't entirely sure how the owl was still perched without using her talons to grip, especially as Harry wasn't very well built. Then again, he was very sure that owl was too intelligent even by post owl standards.

Hedwig turned her head all the way around to look at him. The act brought back a story that Taiyang had told him about him and Qrow coming across an owl Faunus during one of the early missions. He couldn't imagine a human doing that. The spine just should not allow it.

Harry turned his head to follow Hedwig's gaze. "Hey Mercury. Good to see you again."

"You too." Even by Mercury's standards, Harry was alright.

Nora scowled at Mercury and turned back to Harry. "They won't let me anywhere near your new friend. Tell them I'll behave."

It was amusing that Harry had no idea what to say to that. He knew full well why Nora wasn't allowed anywhere near and fully agreed with that decision.

"Relax Nora," Mercury drawled. "We wouldn't let Fred and George anywhere near him either." If anything, Harry looked even more unnerved. Both Nora and Mercury laughed. "Come on Harry. He's in Yang's room." He kept acting odd around Emerald.

Nora remained at the bottom of the stairs for a moment waving enthusiastically before skipping into the kitchen.

Harry glanced at Mercury's room and headed that way, maybe to say hello to the others. When they reached that part of the hall, Mercury caught his collar and steered him into Yang's room.

"Something tells me you don't want to go in there."

"Why?"

"Something's going to explode. I don't know how as nothing _should_ be combustible, except Yang, but I just know it will."

"Sounds like Neville with Potions when he went to Snape's class. Even knowing what I know now, I've no idea how he did it."

The snake was only a few feet long, not including any of the heads. He was currently curled up in the farthest corner with Talaria was in front of the tank, hissing angrily at them.

Harry shut the door behind Mercury. "You lied to me."

Mercury didn't need three guesses to know what he was talking about. "For intents and purposes: yes."

Harry didn't respond for a few seconds, then had an odd look on his face. "What, that's it?"

Mercury stared at him blankly. What was he missing?

"Most people give me an excuse or try to claim it was for my own good. So what's your excuse?"

Oh. Most people did tend to do that, didn't they? Then again, Qrow and Taiyang were happy to take their kids' anger if they knew they deserved it. Felix in particular. It was only the fact that Lupin was worse than Felix when it came to afflictions that affected others that stopped the argument being over an hour long.

"What do you want me to say? I didn't think you would appreciate being told that there was that in your scar and there was nothing you could do about it. You don't have access to the resources others did and you still would have obsessed over it."

"So you're saying it was for my own good? How would you feel if someone did that to you?"

Mercury chuckled. "I'm the wrong person to ask that."

Harry glared at him. Apparently deciding not to continue this conversation, he approached the tank. Talaria left her post and landed on Mercury's shoulder, not very dissimilar to Hedwig who had been very still.

An odd hiss slipped from Harry.

All the snake's heads popped up immediately and he slithered over to Harry.

 _So that's what Parseltongue sounds like. I was expecting it to be much more…creepy. How does he not get a sore throat?_

Talaria tapped the cloth of his jacket. She could follow their conversation and gave him a rough translation. After Mercury got over the slight surprise that snakes were sentient, he noted that he had never heard all three heads talk at once. They were normally bickering.

"Speaker."

"Harry. This is Hedwig. What do I call you?"

"We can't decide. What will you call me?"

 _If the heads are this bad when they're young, they're going to be a nightmare when they're fully grown._

Harry frowned. He wasn't sure. "We'll talk about that later. Are you comfortable in there?"

Now they separated into different priorities. They also all hissed over each other.

"Good food."

"Won't be large enough when bigger."

"Better than before."

 _Not sure whether to be pleased or worried that he seems to have his heads on straight with Harry around._

Harry rubbed his head. "Again. Slower and separate."

Again, they hissed over each other.

Mercury chuckled.

Harry looked in his direction and rolled his eyes. He didn't seem angry at Mercury anymore. That confused him.

"Would you like to stay with me?"

They all nodded in unison.

 _Did they pick up that rather human habit from us?_

Harry glanced at Hedwig. He spoke in English. "What do you think?"

Hedwig hopped off Harry and landed on top of the tank, her amber eyes staring at the reptile. All six eyes stared back. She spread her wings and opened her beak slightly. Aggressive, Talaria told him. The Runespoor hissed back in warning, rearing up to his full (but still small) height.

The owl relaxed again. She looked at Harry and hooted, jumping back onto his left shoulder. Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Hedwig."

Mercury grinned mischievously. "She probably wants someone to watch out for you when she can't. With your luck, you would find yourself in the middle of a lethifold colony."

"…Do I want to know what they are?"

"Probably not."

Harry took the lid off and lowered his right arm in. The snake carefully wrapped itself around the appendage. While Harry didn't complain, Mercury did see the problem with his arm now.

"Relax a little. You're damaging the arm."

The snakes hissed a warning at Mercury. He didn't need a translator for bared fangs. Hedwig hooted and her wing almost hit the middle head. The snake relaxed his muscles slightly.

Harry let out a breath that was slightly pained. "I could have coped."

"And as long as he is small enough, he's going to keep doing that. Best to teach when they're young Harry." Talaria had been the same way. She even clicked her teeth in agreement.

Harry deliberately looked at Talaria, then looked at his new responsibility. "Ah. Don't suppose you have any advice?"

"I am going to assume that if he bites Sirius, he will prank you mercilessly for the rest of your life. That is my input."

The response was a laugh. "Probably." He switched to Parseltongue. "No biting anyone unless I order you to." Good. He was learning. Back to English. "I forgive you for not telling me. You told Sirius and he knows me very well."

Mercury still didn't really see the problem, but he nodded his acceptance all the same. Felix would explain it to him later. Again. He did know that Harry was much like him; mistrustful and when someone broke that trust, he wouldn't trust them again. Apparently, he had avoided that.

The Runespoor's right head hissed again. Talaria did not translate it. The left head responded. They talked for a few moments before the middle head joined in. The heads were arguing again.

 _Not our problem anymore._

"I've got a name. 'Bowright'."

The snake immediately shut up. The heads glanced at each other. They turned back to Harry's face and again nodded firmly. Then they went straight back to arguing.

"'Bowright'?" Mercury asked. It seemed an odd thing to call anything.

"Yeah. After Bowman Wright. A witch and a muggle for parents and lived in Godric's Hollow. They used to use a bird for Quidditch, so he invented the Golden Snitch. He was interested in science, magic and sports."

That did make some sense. Mercury did catch most of the references, though some things probably went over his head. At least Harry hadn't named it 'Fluffy' or something like that. "Eh. Could be worse."

"Yeah, like Norbert."

"Norberta."

"What."

There was a knock before the door opened. It was Qrow.

"Everyone's here Silvertongue."

Mercury sighed. "Right." He wasn't looking forward to this, completely due to the company. "Why didn't we have this elsewhere?"

"Because we're paranoid and very fed up. You coming as well, Harry?"

"Definitely," Harry responded. "Thanks. I owe you everything."

Mercury couldn't help the scoff that escaped him. "That needs a reality check."

"No, we did. The magicals. We _shouldn't_ have another Dark Lord situation for quite a while now."

"War is bad for most businesses."

Qrow dropped a hand on Mercury's shoulder. [That's not what he meant. He may hate the Wizarding World, but a good part of him sees it as home.] The three started walking, verbally quiet.

[He says otherwise.]

[You said the same about us back then and you still refused to join Cinder when she offered.]

Even to this day, Mercury wasn't sure why he did that. Leap into the unknown instead of stepping back to everything he knew. He would do it now without a second thought, but back then?

The study was their destination. Sirius met them just outside, patting Harry on the back. Their 'war council' consisted of Ozpin, Glynda, Amber, Madam Bones, Moody, Scrimgeour, Dumbledore and Snape.

This was going to be one very long chat, in so many ways.

* * *

27th June

'MEETING THE FUTURE MINISTRY

By Dennis Palmer

Albus Dumbledore has always been a voice of reason for many in the government. With Hogwarts student numbers on the rise, he has asked many in the Ministry if they are willing to allow the students to tour the Ministry of Magic to gain a more thorough understanding of their world.

"These are our children and our future," Headmaster Dumbledore told our reporter. "We should be proud of our government and show our children how bright that future is."

Many in the Ministry have agreed, especially as many had children currently attending Hogwarts.

"As an Auror, I spend much time at work," Mandy Smith, age 28. "I don't get to spend much time with my children and they have never seen where I work."

During the summer, there is going to be a selection of children visiting the Ministry on different days, one day for each House. A group of six Ravenclaws are having their tour tomorrow, with four Hufflepuffs the day after, five Gryffindors on Friday (including the Boy-Who-Lived) and nine Slytherins on Monday.

With the History of Magic course quoted to being 'upgraded' over the summer months, Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister Scrimgeour are hoping that all our children can enjoy the wonder that is our government once school restarts after the summer.'

* * *

Two steps forward, one step back.

Harry had not been happy to see the fact that the Daily Prophet were playing the Boy-Who-Lived angle. While it was not planned, everyone had agreed it was a possibility. Still, that article told Harry that there were some working at the Daily Prophet that were not going to shape up.

The Minister had agreed and had promised to look into it after Riddle was gone. So far, he was doing a well enough job and Madam Bones was keeping him in check. Fudge winding up in Azkaban for being corrupt and being thought of as the 'worst Minister in British history' was a warning to the following Ministers that the DMLE had to be ruthless.

It did the job. Less than an hour after it had been published, Snape had been summoned by Riddle to verify it. Snape might not be a teacher, but he was an excellent double-agent, though Harry would never say that to his face. The problem was that, as a known spy, Riddle didn't discuss his plan with him. At least they had already guessed that.

One suggestion that Mercury had gotten from his meeting with their terrorist was to ignore Riddle altogether and even imply that he wasn't a threat. Another had been to put their bait in the second or third visit, not the first to make the situation more believable. That had resulted in a full hour discussion when Mercury said that as it put others in danger.

Sirius had solved that. All groups were to be accompanied by an Auror or Hit Wizard and they would play that as parents showing the kids around their Ministry.

Which led to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville being escorted around the Ministry by Sirius and Mr Weasley. His friends knew of the risks and the others hadn't been interested in going to the Ministry anyway (except Fay who was currently on holiday and couldn't attend). He was going to assume Mrs Weasley knew nothing about it. She would never allow it.

Having never been to the Ministry before, Harry could say both good things and bad things about it. He chose to keep both to himself. 'Interesting' was the answer he gave when asked. Sirius gave him a look that told him he understood everything he wasn't saying.

Still, if he worked in the Ministry, that very disgusting statue in the foyer would be the first thing to go.

Mr Weasley was the main one telling them about the history of the Ministry. His department had gotten a boost after the Tri-Wizard Tournament (probably something to do with the muggle competitor killing a dragon and a chimaera without a scratch) and he now understood a lot more about muggles than when Harry had stayed at the Burrow. They started at the ground floor and took each logically.

The courtrooms made Harry shudder. He was very pleased he had never been in there. Neville gave him a pat on the back.

The phone in Harry's pocket buzzed. They had thought about radios as they were cheaper, but they weren't conspicuous. Besides, Harry already had a phone and so did Hermione. When they found out what they were for, the Weasleys had gotten one each as well, mostly on the Twin's money. Harry did intend for those mirrors to be mass-produced, but they weren't ready yet.

Harry glanced down at it and allowed everyone to read it. It was from Qrow.

'Madwoman dead'

Neville swallowed. He let out a shaky breath. While Ron rubbed his back, the others gave him respectable space and closeness for comfort. He nodded with hard eyes; a message that he was good and would focus on that later when he could.

Where they got hold of a sniper rifle (they refused to use Ruby's), Harry didn't want to know. However, there had been a worry that Bellatrix would try for the bank, so Qrow and Mercury had camped nearby. They didn't take prisoners. Especially not that one.

 _Bide some time for whoever it is to get the horcrux that is almost certainly in there. At least we know the Twin's 'see-through-glamour glasses' prototype works._

This did mean they could search the vault earlier than expected.

So far, so good. That was what worried Harry.

He could have refused this. He had wanted nothing to do with Riddle. He still didn't. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't acting in the war and was instead helping friends with a problem. It may be the truth, but he couldn't deny reality completely. He would like to say his parents were proud of this choice; that he wasn't throwing their sacrifice away.

 _Mum…Dad…I'm sorry._

When surrounded by war, everyone must eventually choose a side or face elimination.

What had convinced Harry though had been talking to Emerald when they had still been in America. It had been an insane time in the morning for them and she couldn't sleep. Harry had completely forgotten about the time difference between the two when he called them for a chat but she had wanted someone outside the family to talk to. For the most part, Harry had just listened for hours.

Taiyang. He had heard that name often from them. Maybe they were afraid of talking to each other about their missing family member.

That conversation, while innocent from a sleep-deprived Emerald's end, had been what convinced Harry to change his mind and help them this way. While he was grateful, they had been here for far too long. Blake had parents too. Then there was team JWMP.

 _'Let someone else deal with the problem…' That is how the Wizarding World got into this mess in the first place._

Now Harry's heart started to pound.

The Department of Mysteries.

"We're not going to be here long," Sirius announced cheerfully, playing the part of a tour guide. "In fact, we're not allowed in the majority of these rooms. However, it's here and fascinating."

The security measures hadn't dropped, but magic could be used in very unusual ways. Death Eaters were very good at working from the shadows. There was no doubt in Harry's mind he was walking into a trap. That was the point.

The idea to buy time was for Sirius to offer a guessing game for what was down here. Before he could start though, the lift opened behind them.

It was Percy.

This definitely wasn't part of the plan.

"Father," Percy nodded. He glanced at the others, who were remaining quiet, before returning his attention to his father. "May I have a quick word?"

"Of course," Mr Weasley nodded. He and Percy walked a few feet down the corridor. Percy then cast the _Muffliato_ spell. Despite that, it was obvious his words were spoken hesitantly.

Harry glanced at Ron, who was glaring at his older brother. Ginny wasn't. She was frowning, but she didn't seem angry…or at least, not as angry as Ron. Being only children, Hermione and Neville looked as confused as Harry felt.

He turned to Sirius, who obviously had a much better idea of what was going on. He gave Harry the Marauder sign that meant 'give it a while' and 'later'. Harry turned back to Mr Weasley and Percy.

More minutes of talking went by. Their conversation was still slow, but wasn't as hesitant. Maybe they had made up.

Harry's phone buzzed again. This one was from Mercury.

'Piece is destroyed'

It took a moment for that to translate in his mind.

 _So there was one in the vault and it's gone. As if Mrs Malfoy was actually helpful. Her son is still a git though. May Lucius burn in hell._

Why had Lucius thought a Basilisk, who hadn't had anything to eat in fifty years even if she was hibernating, would know the difference between a pureblood and muggleborn? Why would she even care? Harry had only had a reptile for a few days, but he had learned one lesson from watching Mercury 'raise' Talaria back in Fourth Year: from their point of view, food was food.

Harry's mind had drifted a lot today. While that was fine earlier, he knew that the battle (if there was one) would be soon. His focus shifted and amplified.

No horcruxes. Riddle could die and permenantly this time.

Mr Weasley placed a hand on Percy's shoulder with a smile. Percy relaxed and smiled back.

Harry was familiar with that gesture. So were Ron and Ginny. Ginny was smiling a little, shaking her head in slight annoyance. Ron seemed even angrier. Harry elbowed him and the glare switched to him. Harry glared back and Ron dropped his gaze.

Percy walked over to them with Mr Weasley a step behind him. He cleared his throat almost quietly, but properly. "Ron, Ginny. Dad's invited me back to the Burrow tomorrow. Will I see you there?"

"Yes Percy," Ginny replied. She didn't appear to hold a grudge, but then from Harry's point of view, he had had a point about his family's opinion of Dumbledore. Ginny didn't have the same opinion as her parents, mostly due to the experiences of her first year.

Ron was different. He gave a firm nod, but it was obvious he was not happy.

Percy returned the nod. He walked past them back to the lift.

There was a brief silence.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Well, shall we continue?"

Family business was family business unless one of them chose to tell someone else about it.

Harry nodded. "So what's in the Department of Mysteries?"

Sirius pretended to think. "Well, there's the Veil of Death, which we are not going to see." Harry was perfectly fine with that. "Most of the floor is for the Unspeakables that research magic at a core level."

"Core level?" Neville asked. That wasn't part of a script.

"Our magic is a part of us, but no one truly understands how it works. Magic is a miracle and most are willing to accept that. The Unspeakables are not one of them. However, they are not officially staff at the Ministry, even if they do get paid by the same people."

This was new to Harry. "Then why do they work in the Ministry building?"

Mr Weasley answered that. "That dates back to when the building was first made. Wizards and witches had begun to isolate themselves from muggles for their own safety due to the witch burnings among other things. The Ministry building was considered 'safe' and during those times, there wasn't much of a government. Later, as they explored magic in ways unheard of, the new government chose to keep them close, even if they have no authority over them. Whether this was due to control or safety is dependent on your view and that is how it still is."

This was what was going to be taught in the new History of Magic course, though Harry didn't know who the new teacher was going to be.

"Although," Sirius mused as he pretended to think. "There is something else they study down here that we are allowed to show you. I would advise keeping an open mind." Somehow, Harry suspected Sirius should have gotten more detentions than he did. He probably talked his way out of some of them.

"Can we really see something down here?" Ron asked excitedly. It wasn't an entire act; this floor tended to be off limits to visitors. Besides, Ron was a terrible actor.

"You're taking Divination, right?" Ron nodded. He had never been happy Harry had stopped attending that class, but he had agreed with it. Potions had been another matter entirely. "Well, despite what you may think, there are such things as true prophecies. Provided that you do not touch anything, I suppose we can allow you a glimpse. You are _not_ to touch anything."

Qrow had once said that taking pre-teens into a room and telling them not to touch anything was like raising a red flag to a bull. Telling teenagers about a corridor that promised death without explaining that fully would do the same thing. The teachers from Remnant had been amazed when they heard exactly what Dumbledore had said that in his first year.

Sirius led them to the Prophecy Room, his hand in his pocket where his phone and badge were. The DMLE was just upstairs, along with Professors Ozpin, Goodwitch and McGonagall. Dumbledore and Snape were waiting to be called on at Hogwarts. Emerald, Amber and Ruby were at St Mungo's, ready to help or defend there if necessary. Blake, Nora, Ren and Yang were in the foyer, keeping a careful watch for trouble. They had even chosen to wear robes.

The door to the room. Nothing immediately jumped out at them.

"Wow," Ron gasped. "How many are there?"

Something was off here. Harry had told already Ron there were loads as it wasn't a good place to fight and they were supposed to be staying mostly quiet for now to try and hear something.

"Must be thousands." They couldn't all have been fulfilled. Or at least, not intentionally.

Ron frowned, then shook his head. "Sorry, phased out for a moment there."

 _Phased out? Didn't act like it._

Sirius pulled Ron back out the room and immediately cast a non-verbal spell. When there was a red glow near the floor, Harry guessed it was some sort of detection spell.

A jet of light flew at them from the same direction.

"" _Protego_!""

After their spells, Harry and Sirius immediately ducked, pulling the others down with them.

The first spell went above them. The second one hit the combined shield and vanished.

The roof collapsed behind them, glass and rock unnaturally resting. Rather than fall according to gravity, the debris had somehow formed a wall behind them.

Harry slowly stood, keeping his shield up and his centre of gravity low. He had expected something to happen, but not this. What did this accomplish?

Sirius kept his wand up. He stepped in front of the children, gesturing to keep behind him. Harry knew he would get in the way and Sirius had experience, so he knew what he was doing. He didn't argue.

Mr Weasley turned and investigated the 'wall' behind them. "How curious. It registers as one object. I will search for a weak point that will not result in more damage and danger."

"Understood," Sirius replied.

Pushing his magic into his Hit Wizard badge would alert all the others that he required assistance. Madam Bones was waiting for the signal and her department was not far. The wall was the only difficulty.

The only reason he hadn't was because there was only one person in the room and if it was Riddle, why had he not gone for the Killing Curses? This was someone else and they didn't want to spook them just yet.

Ginny ran right past Sirius. In one step, he caught her shoulder. The slight glaze in her eyes had gone, but absolute fury replaced it. Sirius was knocked back a few steps when her magic flared outwards and she took off.

"Ginny!" Ron yelled, starting to run.

Sirius caught him in a much tighter grip. Mr Weasley grabbed his other arm.

"We will find her Ron," his father promised. "Hermione, you get this wall out of the way." She nodded an agreement. "Ron, you are staying here as well in case the person gets around us."

"But-"

"Not the time to argue Ron," Harry cut in. "You protect Hermione and in case Ginny comes back. We've got this."

"Harry," Sirius growled. "You are following orders. Remember that."

"Yes." That was the agreement. They needed to adapt the plan and stick to it. Sirius and Mr Weasley had the experience of the last war. Even with his yearly adventures, Harry was outmatched.

"Neville-"

"I'm your subordinate right now."

Sirius called for the backup. Then they cautiously ventured in the room. They didn't run after Ginny, but they did make a fast pace, keeping their senses open. They had a small list of Death Eaters and their sympathisers, but each operated differently.

Ginny was standing in a very specific aisle. Row 97. There was a very familiar rat at her feet, which wasn't moving.

Sirius Stunned them both.

Harry sharply turned to stare at that action, before quickly searching the area for anyone else.

Mr Weasley wasn't angry at Sirius though. He immediately went to his daughter and cast a few spells. With a sigh of relief, he revived her.

She groaned as she sat up. "Was that necessary?"

"You are in a lot of trouble young lady," Mr Weasley responded angrily. "However, that is for later."

Sirius was glaring at the rat. With a growl, he Conjured a cage and Levitated the rat into it. Seeing Harry's questioning look, he answered. "I tested him in the Shack. He has no Occlumency skills. I want Veritaserum down his throat."

Harry smiled at him, relieved.

Sirius sent a message to everyone saying the same thing: 'Rat caught at exact spot. No sign of anyone'

There was a slight pause before a few answered.

Blake: 'Nothing off in foyer'

Goodwitch: 'Nothing unusual on this floor'

Mercury: 'Who do I owe money to?'

It took Harry a few seconds for the last one to connect. Then he laughed. Sirius did too. Mr Weasley and Ginny read it, then looked at them.

"What's the joke?" Ginny asked.

"Pettigrew's bounty Ginny," Harry managed to stop laughing long enough to answer. "Mercury never withdrew it."

Mr Weasley's eyes widened. "B-But that's-"

"100,000 galleons," Sirius nodded. "Congratulations. Anyway, if there's nothing more going on, what was the point?"

Harry cast every detection spell he could. He got nothing. He cast _Muffliato_ anyway. "This was where I picked up the prophecy before. I was probably supposed to pick it up now."

"That might explain the cave in," Mr Weasley responded slowly. "But to lose a rat Animagus for that?"

"We weren't supposed to catch him," Sirius replied. "But I doubt he would care if Harry got the prophecy." The four ran back to Ron and Hermione, who were unharmed and all of them let out a sigh of relief.

The wall was gone.

Madam Bones arrived with three Aurors. Harry only recognised Kingsley.

"The others are searching the Ministry. Nothing?"

"Other than this," Sirius shook the cage. "Nothing."

"One down at least. If they aren't inside the Ministry, they may be waiting outside. A well placed Blasting spell at the fireplace can do serious harm and prevent flooing, but you need to be in the foyer for that."

"But Blake said there was nothing out of the ordinary," Harry responded. He didn't think they were wrong.

"No and I got a message from Ozpin saying the same a moment ago. There is then the Apparation point and the visitor's entrance. That is the way Harry would be expected to come and go."

"True," Mr Weasley agreed. "All of them arrived through the visitor's entrance, which is in the same corridor as the Apparation point. If they are here, then that is where they'll be."

Winky popped in. "Ren has proto glamour glasses. Now says there is a man in foyer who thinks should not be there under cloak."

"Thank you Winky," Madam Bones nodded. "Don't let anyone see you."

The elf nodded and popped away.

"Ren would know whether or not that was Riddle, so it's not," Sirius started. "But is he an advanced guard or is that it?"

"Why hasn't he been caught yet?" Neville asked. "I thought there were security measures."

"There are," Madam Bones replied patiently. "However an invisibility cloak is difficult to catch until they move or try to cast a spell, though the wards won't allow it. He must just be staying still."

"I think he's an advanced guard," Kingsley answered. "He will move when he sees the students and most likely call for backup."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked.

"You stay here Mr Weasley and so do all of you."

"Except me," Harry cut in. "I'm the bait you need."

"Then you leave," Sirius growled before he could say anything else.

Harry nodded. "Understood."

The others weren't happy and started shouting over each other. Harry hissed in Parseltongue before anyone else could do anything. Everyone shut up.

"Guys, I appreciate it. I really do. But we're not ready for this and there are people here who _are_. The best thing we can do is keep out of the way."

"You taught us," Ron argued angrily. "So has Professor Goodwitch."

"And what was her first lesson Ron?"

Ron glared at him. Neville dipped his head.

"Only fight to escape, especially if you know they are out of your league and they always will be." He let out a low breath. "We've had more training than most of the recent graduates. We'll help get them out of the foyer."

"Neville!"

"Gran has to visit my parents in St Mungo's, mostly because they thought there was no danger. I'm not going to have her mourn me too, especially when there are so many Aurors here. There's a difference between bravery and stupidity."

Hermione nodded. "I can't leave my parents. I'll stay out the way too."

"Ginny, you're already grounded, so you are staying out of the fight." Ginny glared at her father. "Ron, I am willing to put you in a body bind and send you back to your mother if you don't behave."

Ron's jaw dropped. He looked at Harry, who shook his head.

"Ron, we're teenagers. They are killers with decades of experience behind them. I don't want to test my luck. With any of my friends. Once the fight starts, I'm getting out of the way."

That was the plan anyway. However, it was Harry's experience that they plan and all hell broke loose. RMEY had jokingly said the same thing about themselves. Hadn't stopped them from never getting caught for anything they did at Hogwarts, but then they weren't used to professors who were used to their antics.

Still, Harry did have a few tricks up his sleeve.

With no horcruxes to protect him, Riddle was just as vulnerable as anyone.

A few more minutes of discussion and the group set off. His friends headed to Mr Weasley's office with him to establish a safe point. One Auror took Pettigrew and to fetch the others. Madam Bones and her Aurors cast Disillusionment spells on themselves and followed Harry and Sirius to the foyer.

The minute Harry was visible, all hell broke loose.

To Harry's relief, the first spell was a Summoning spell. However, it didn't work as Harry wasn't carrying a prophecy.

Too bad the Death Eater had already called for his Master, but maybe he hadn't realised that reality. He probably thought it couldn't be Summoned. His cover blown, he switched to Killing Curses.

What Harry hadn't been aware of was that the Ministry had been performing drills. The employees that had experience in a real fight retaliated while those that had merely duelled were advised to retreat quickly but calmly. The four Beacon students covered them, using their weapons to catch Killing Curses. Even Yang, who had _gauntlets_.

After all, if Zephyr could do it, so could they.

With fewer amateurs, there was less chance of a spell accidentally hitting someone, friendly fire or not. Aurors and Hit Wizards quickly arrived, fully prepared and forewarned for what they were going to fight.

Their information was fairly accurate. Only twelve Death Eaters appeared.

As Harry expected, their one goal was to prevent him leaving. He couldn't retreat. He didn't bother trying as soon as he realised that. He used a mixture of Bone Breakers, Cutting spells and prank spells such as a tripping hex or a Scorgify to the eyes.

With spells flying everywhere, the architecture was quickly getting blasted to bits. Professor Goodwitch hung back from the front lines and swiftly restored it. While the damage wasn't intentional by most, none wanted to get buried. Professor Ozpin stood next to her, creating a force field when a spell headed their way, towards his students if he could or was about to hit an Auror who wouldn't be able to avoid it. Harry received two shields within five minutes.

One Death Eater almost flew towards him. Faster than Harry could see, Professor Ozpin _moved_. One smack from that cane after who knew how many and that Death Eater skidded across the floor. He didn't get up.

Numbers, tactics and teamwork was in their favour. Three Death Eaters tried to flee, but they had to get through the floo, which had been shut down, or get to the Apparation point, which meant they had to turn their back.

Tonks did not allow them. She seemed to be greatly enjoying herself. For a few minutes, she was side by side with Harry.

"Never a dull moment with you, is it?"

Harry gave her a nervous smile. "You've no idea." He aimed a Blasting Curse at the statue of the magical creatures with the wizard above them. It exploded and hit a lot of Death Eaters. Madam Bones and Professor Ozpin protected their side.

He thought that statue was horrible anyway.

"Nice one Potter," Moody grumbled as his Severing Charm took off both a Death Eater's arms. His next one Stunned him. Even if he was revived, he would be of little use, except maybe as a shield.

 _Fights for survival don't have rules. There is no such thing as a cheap shot. Never stop moving._

They were down to thirty (with more waiting downstairs) against six when Riddle himself arrived.

Riddle's surprise at the current state was too brief to fully take advantage of. He started with non-verbal Killing Curses.

The incantation was long and so they were forewarned. Riddle didn't have that problem. One after another was thrown with little regard for who he was hitting in very few seconds.

Dolohov, the thought to be last die hard Death Eater, was killed by a stray Killing Curse from Riddle.

This made the remaining three, who had just been celebrating, hesitate. This allowed one of them to be taken out, but the other two kept moving.

"Come Harry. Let's settle this honourably."

Harry wasn't interested in honourable. There was a time and place for that. There were also people for that and Riddle was not one of them.

Most wouldn't survive an onslaught from so many spells, but whatever shield he was using wasn't even affected.

Most shields didn't protect from all directions. Whatever shield Riddle was using did.

If anything, the increased hostility and insults from his enemies increased Riddle's fury. His spells became erratic and unpredictable. He didn't restrict himself to Killing Curses either. Harry didn't know what most of them did, but if they hit, there was a lot of blood and a lot of screaming.

There was a reason why people fled when Riddle showed up at the scene.

Harry didn't try to run from the battle. He wouldn't make it anyway.

But he was quickly getting caught in the chaos. One minute it was Moody next to him, then he had had to be on the other side of the foyer with someone he didn't know.

This was true war.

It was horrible.

Harry currently didn't think much on it at the moment. One mistake and he was dead. That was his instinct and his instinct had never let him down before.

One spell that way, another spell that way. His spells went down to incapacitating prank spells because it was just as likely to hit an ally as an enemy. He didn't want to kill anyone (except Riddle).

It wasn't always easy to aim when moving.

He froze when he saw Moody dead at the base of the statue.

A ribbon wrapped around his body and he was jerked off his feet. Knowing what was happening, he twisted his weight to roll across the floor to release it, mentally thanking Blake for saving his life.

He looked up.

Riddle was aiming at a panting Sirius.

 _No._

It was instinct.

He lost his parents. Neville lost his parents. Mrs Weasley lost her brothers. Susan lost her parents. So many died in the first war. He lost Cedric. Madam Bones lost half of her Aurors. He lost that little eight year old girl in Hogsmeade. Three others died there. Mercury lost his eye. Three Aurors were dead. He lost Moody.

His front legs drew back as his hind legs tensed. His centre of gravity shifted.

He was _not_ losing Sirius.

Shadestar roared and sprang.

Riddle didn't see what hit him.

He turned at the last moment, making the landing clumsy. The black jaguar didn't care. Regaining his footing, the jaws clamped down on the throat. His teeth sank easily into the flesh. Instinctively shifting his position for a more fatal target, he bit down harder.

Riddle thrashed, trying to get the cat off. Too suddenly, he was still.

Shadestar let go after a few more seconds and stepped back. Blood dripped from the jaws.

Then Harry the teenager was crouched on the floor, spitting the taste out of his mouth. No vomit. Maybe that would come later.

Right now, he was numb. He was numb and sick and shaking and tired and-

There was a hand on his shoulder. Sirius crouched down next to him and pulled him into his arms. "It's okay now Harry. It's over." His hand began to rub Harry's back. "I know how tempting it is, but don't shift. It'll get better, I promise. It's okay now."

Was Harry crying? He felt like he was crying.

He did not care.

He could still taste the blood.

"Come on Harry," Sirius murmured. "Let's go home."

 _Home?_

Home.

* * *

28th June

'VOLDEMORT DEAD

By Percy Weasley

Voldemort is dead. That has been confirmed by multiple sources and he will not be returning.

Today was the day that the five Gryffindor students were to be educated within the Ministry building. They were punctual and their visit was informative.

However, it was when the children were in the foyer to leave that violence struck. A lone Death Eater called for his master and began to attack everyone present, starting with the children.

The response was swift and efficient. Aurors and Hit Wizards stood firm against this threat. When eleven more Death Eaters arrived, they stood firm.

The battle was in their favour. There were only six Death Eaters remaining when Voldemort himself appeared.

No one retreated. Four Aurors gave their lives, but not in vain. Voldemort fell in the Ministry's foyer.

Everyone battled against Voldemort. Harry Potter was the one who struck the killing blow, not the Killing Curse. He will not be facing prosecution for his actions.

Voldemort is now dead. The Aurors will be given an honourable burial. Voldemort will be destroyed so no one can bring him back again.

The war is over.

Tomorrow is a new day.'

/

2nd July

'LEAVING AND GROWING HOGWARTS

By Apollo Cassandra

Following a new age, Hogwarts has decided to go through a few changes. Things can always be improved and it is hoped that these changes will increase the happiness of those within and outside the historic castle. The first change is in the curriculum. The second is a change to the teachers.

History is always ongoing and so History of Magic is getting a revamp to include more recent things. After all, it would not do to repeat something that did not work the first time and shouldn't we be proud of where we are? Many people fought for our lives and their efforts should be remembered. Professor Binns is also being retired, though it is not known who his replacement is. Given that most students, both past and present, consider the original class naptime, I think this is going to be welcomed very happily.

The next change is Potions. I will admit that Severus Snape had certainly deserved his Potions Mastery, but he is not suited to the classroom. He has no patience for us and we all dread stepping into his classroom. That is compacted in our grades and, by extension, our careers. Everyone, Potions Master Snape included, would be much happier if he is able to expand his skills in peace in his own Potions lab. He had chosen to step down from his role as an educator and pursue a different path.

Divination is a unique subject. Either you have the gift or you do not. I don't know if Professor Trelawney has the gift of a Seer, but it is impossible to pass on that knowledge. I can confidently say there are no Seers in my class and it is possible a genuine Seer would slip through the cracks as Divination is an optional subject. As such, the actual subject will be discontinued but some of the syllabus will be in appropriate subjects. Astronomy for example will include the meaning of the planets as well as their presence. This will be an interest topic to hear the gossip on when Hogwarts restarts.

Muggle Studies is also getting a complete update, including all meanings of the word 'update' and is now a core subject. Bellatrix Lestrange was killed by a muggle weapon from over 30 feet away and the culprit was never found because it took so long to identify the cause of death. Muggles are human, just like us. They have their ways, their culture and their war. We live so close to them and yet don't teach much about them for many reasons. With those reasons now gone, Hogwarts can now educate her children the way she should always have done: preparing them for the world.

It is this same reasoning that allowed Wizarding Culture to be added as a core subject. Due to the war with Voldemort, more and more magical families have been wiped out by ourselves than any muggle. In comparison, there are more muggleborn students. I have been at Hogwarts for years and yet I still don't understand the reason things are as they are or even what those things are. Personally, this subject is a relief to me so I can truly appreciate this world around me.

Headmaster Dumbledore and the Board of Governors spent the entirety of yesterday considering our future during school years and long after we left.

"My grandson attends Hogwarts," Madam Longbottom told us. "I attended it in my youth. I remember a school that remains to this day some of my happiest memories. I was happy when my son attended the school and when my grandson continued the tradition. I intend for Hogwarts to be the cause of many of his happy memories for a long time to come."

I can agree with that. I have so many unforgettable memories from this school and do not regret my decision to return for another year. Even those that are leaving have good things to say about this school.

"Hogwarts has been my home since I was eleven." Harry Potter, age 15. "One of my favourite quotes is simple. 'I love magic'. My friends can tell you I say that a lot. My choice to leave was because I feel I am ready to grow up and leave home. I am ready to fly into my future and thank everyone at Hogwarts for making my time there so memorable. There were good times and there were bad times. Through everything, the school was and will always be special to me."

Hogwarts has stood for thousands of years. It was here long before I was and I hope it will be here long after I am gone. As we grow, so too does Hogwarts.

One thing that will hopefully never change is our love for this wondrous castle that has been home to so many.'

* * *

In the week of Riddle's death, there was no immediate change. After all, they had been cleaning the government up as they went along recently. Maybe that was easier.

The dead had been buried. Few had had families and those that did had lost some in the war. Those that survived attended every one. A silent promise that they would never allow another Dark Lord to rise.

The only funeral Harry went to was Moody's. Somehow, he felt like he owed it to the man, even if he hadn't had much time as their teacher. When Harry had thought about being an Auror, Mad Eye would be the kind of Auror he had wanted to be: level headed with a need for justice.

Riddle wasn't dead because of justice.

However, the final battle was won and this time, everyone was making sure the war was won as well.

 _I suppose it helps that there are no Death Eaters to claim Imperius this time. It also helps that adults are being very active in the jobs they are and aren't paid to do._

After he finally got the inside of the magical tent exactly how he liked it, he decided to go camping. He picked the 'Fire Pit' camping grounds mostly because he liked that name the most and enjoyed his first night immensely. He even got a discount as most of the facilities weren't available, but he didn't really care about that. In fact, he was the only one for miles. So he invited practically all his friends (under 20) to join him.

All his friends and even friendly acquaintances from his own year showed up. Ginny, Luna, Colin, Dennis, the Weasley Twins and Alicia came too. A few couldn't make it with such short notice, but promised to be there tomorrow. With the exception of Zephyr, all the Beacon students showed up.

So many people made finding wood and lighting a bonfire very easy, even with how big it was.

Colin had brought all his photos from this year. As the pranks had shot up due to both Umbridge's presence (no matter how short it was) and the Twins advertising, there was quite a few with them in unfavourable situations. For them anyway. Everyone else found it hilarious.

Fred winced as he saw the third one. "Good grief, how did you get that?"

Ruby squinted her eyes and tilted her head, her sister mirroring the action. "I don't get it. What were you trying to do?"

"Ton-Tongue toffees." George groaned as he put his head in his hands.

"Which apparently didn't mix too well with Puking Pastilles," Fred sighed.

Harry snorted. That set off everyone else. A hairy tongue that was purple and red _shouldn't_ be funny, but it was just so ridiculous. They were also rather numb to things like this.

George glared at Colin. "Seriously, how did you get that?"

A year ago, Colin might have shrunk under the gaze. Now, he preened. "Now that would be telling."

Blaise's laughing fit slowly faded. "You have blackmail on the Weasley Twins. Now that is an achievement for the history books."

Luna smiled. "I'll make sure it's in the yearbook."

Blake shook her head with a fond smile of her own. "I think it should be everyone's yearbook."

Yearbooks were more of a muggle thing that a magical. Still, it was one of the few things that gained popularity when someone suggested it. Harry was going to be keeping his for a long time, though he was also asking for one that hadn't been edited yet.

The next one was of fireworks spelling out 'Dumbledore's Kingdom' above the school with a giant arrow pointing to it. If Harry remembered right, this was the night after Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor.

 _Hang on. This looks like it was-_

"Was this taken in Hogsmeade?" Neville asked, almost reading Harry's mind.

"Didn't the writing only show up at about 11? At night?" Hermione added.

"It was half ten actually," Alicia replied. In the photo, the writing was flowing into the colours of the rainbow. "Did anyone ever claim credit for this?"

"Nope," the Twins replied together. "We checked."

Hermione shrugged as everyone turned to her. "It wasn't anyone from Gryffindor." She hesitated. "Or they did it on a timer. Everyone was in before curfew."

Everyone's gaze then went to Ruby and Nora. Both shook their heads.

"Nope."

"I would have added a crown and a throne. Maybe a staff too. And some songs."

Somehow, Harry knew she would manage it too. He didn't know how but he knew she could. Somehow.

She then began humming a tune. "I'm queen of the castle~"

Ren rolled his eyes as they all chuckled, patting her head almost as if she was a dog.

"It was a bit plain," Luna noted. "I think the letters should have moved too."

"Why not add a lemon drop shower over the school?" Fred asked.

Silence.

Then everyone was overtaken by a much longer laughing fit.

Then a thought occurred to Harry. He turned to Colin. "If you were in Gryffindor Tower, how did you take this?"

"I'm not telling." Colin was very cheerful.

"Bribery?" Emerald guessed.

"I will not confirm or deny that."

Mercury and Daphne clapped as they chuckled. "You're learning," Daphne noted happily.

Ginny scowled playfully. "Don't corrupt him."

Yang laughed. "Believe me, that was the Twins."

""Was not!""

Alicia scoffed. "Oh please. I think you corrupted everyone in Gryffindor."

"Not a bad thing," Nora cheered. "Some days were just so _dull_."

"Dull?" Ron scowled. "That was the most calm, yet most ridiculous year at Hogwarts I've had so far. Whose idea was it to change the Great Hall into an ice rink?"

 _He does have a point there. Wouldn't change it though. That was probably what Hogwarts was like when the Marauders attended, although the number of near fatal spells was probably lower._

It was also interesting to see how good most students were at Transfiguring their shoes into skates. McGonagall had been torn between telling them off and giving them points.

"Not just Gryffindor," Susan grumbled with a grin. "I seem to know one very enthusiastic First Year to be Second Year in Hufflepuff who's a big fan. Have you taught her any tricks?"

""No."" Seriously, how did the Twins do that? Bowright couldn't do that often and his heads shared a body.

Ruby swung her legs as she dipped her head. "Why not? You taught Fay some Beater tricks."

"Not mature enough."

It probably wasn't intentional, but everyone sniggered at the idea of the Weasley Twins claiming that someone was too immature for pranking. Having met the girl, Harry actually agreed but he wasn't going to say that.

Yang though actually nodded, also agreeing with the Twins.

The next photo was of one of their portable swamps.

"Our first working product." George folded his arms with a firm nod.

"Now complete with wildlife," Fred added.

There was a brief applause, some genuine and some sarcastic. It didn't really matter. The Twins stood up and bowed.

The smile slipped from Mercury's face as he stared at the flames of the bonfire. A question was on Harry's lips before he saw it himself. Those flames weren't right.

After the Twins were seated, Hermione noticed it too. "Who did that?"

One by one, every magical shook their head.

Beacon didn't move. They just stared.

"Guys…?" Neville prompted. "What is it?"

Ruby reached out for it before pulling her hand back. "This is what we saw right before we found ourselves at Hogwarts."

Harry's stomach clenched. "Y-You mean…Does this mean you're going home?"

"Probably," Mercury answered flippantly. His tone was a little off though. "Could have picked a better time if it is."

There were many confused glances between many of the others. While Harry didn't know how a flame could act as a teleporter, he knew that wasn't what most were thinking.

"You never said," Susan started hesitantly. "You always gave a non-answer. Where's home?"

They didn't answer. They all exchanged looks, but they didn't know how to answer. Oddly enough, that wasn't a question they had been asked often. It had normally been 'how did you get here?' not 'where did you come from?'

"Somewhere very far away," Blake settled on.

The unnatural red and blue were inching closer. What happened when the two colours met?

Harry was deliberately avoiding thinking about the possibility. He took a deep breath and allowed the thought to take hold.

"I can honestly say I'm going to miss you guys," he said. Such a simple sentence with so much behind it.

Six voices spoke then, saying different words yet conveying the same message. The same sentiment.

Mercury caught Harry's eye. He nodded back. He had promised to look after Winky and Talaria when they finally left. That Talaria was going back with them wasn't something Harry had told them. That was his payback for Mercury not telling him about his horcrux…although Harry would probably have done it anyway. One final joke between them.

As if she had been called, Winky appeared. She bowed low. "Winky was proud to be your elf. Winky hopes you will be happy forever."

"Thanks Winky. Couldn't have done it without you."

A faint glow like water passed over Ruby, Emerald and Mercury. They had released Winky from their service.

The elf returned their smile and vanished.

Hermione scowled. "Just so you know, I still don't agree."

That just made them laugh.

"I don't understand," Ginny murmured. "You talk as if we'll never see you again."

Mercury scoffed. "Nothing personal Ginny, but hopefully not."

Ruby nudged him. He gave her a gentle smile.

"I promise," Harry vowed. He may be very unhappy (rather angry) that he was never going to see them again, but he wasn't going to let this world deteriorate to the point they were needed again. It may not even be them who showed up.

""What's going on?"" Susan and Daphne asked together. It would have been amusing to Harry if his heart wasn't in knots.

Harry turned to his friends. Yes, there was anger at not getting an answer but…There was a lot of concern too. He turned back to Beacon.

"Can I tell them?"

Ruby nodded. Her smile was smaller than she was trying to make it. "Sure. We're going to be telling JWMP all about it anyway."

That was some relief for Harry.

It just added to the others' confusion.

Ron opened his mouth to say something. A question, a statement or an accusation, Harry didn't know. Probably the second seeing as Ron had known all along, even if he didn't believe it.

There were tears in Hermione's eyes. It had truly clicked for her what this really was. "I'm sorry."

Blake's bow (ears) flicked, but she was smiling. "Fighting against slavery is something we can all agree on. Just be sensible about how you do it."

Harry wanted to say the word. He couldn't get his mouth to move.

The colours collided and his vision went white.

Luna's musical voice.

"Goodbye Beacon and good luck."

When his vision returned, they had vanished. Nothing. The fire was normal.

Harry swallowed.

Ron patted his back after a moment. "We can tell what we know to start with if you want, mate."

Harry nodded. Tonight…Would be a long night. He touched the mirror in his pocket.

He had never been good at handling grief.

But never stop moving forward.

* * *

 **AN: I had thought about separating this chapter, but there is a good reason I didn't. It was sudden for them and there weren't any huge changes in the few days that immediately followed. As such, I put them together.**

 **It is not obvious as Harry didn't really see it, but Ron and Ginny were put under the Imperius Curse for a few seconds before they threw it off. That was why Ginny was so angry.**

 **This fic is almost done. There's only the epilogue to go and I will be separating that into two chapters: one for the Harry Potter side and one for the RWBY side.**

 **Thank you greatly for reading this. Any questions, feel free to ask.**


	23. Epilogue: Today and Hindsight

**In no way am I connected to Harry Potter or RWBY**

* * *

Harry glanced around the hallways as he walked down. So much had changed yet so much had stayed the same.

It had been three years to the summer since he left Hogwarts. Much of that time had been spent exploring Britain and Europe, although his first trip had been to Africa. Bowright had greatly enjoyed that.

So far, his favourite experience had been accidentally coming across an actual wild Welsh Green dragon in Wales. Luckily, that one hadn't been guarding an egg and had been much more tolerable of him than the one that attacked Fleur during the tournament. The next best experience was when he managed to convince an Occamy to give him the now empty egg shells to protect them from the poachers they had escaped from. Those people were in prison now.

Harry had learned a lot about magical animals. He was going to visit Hagrid after seeing the Headmaster, although he was also going to drop in to greet Professors McGonagall and Flitwick.

"Ooh, it's potty wee Potter!"

The cackling had Harry looking up. "Hey Peeves. Been busy lately?"

"Of course Potter you rotter. Must get back to business, my Dark Lord. Defence classroom isn't going to booby trap itself." With another crazy laugh, he shot through a nearby wall.

Harry shook his head with a fond smile. Peeves was a nightmare, but he did look after the students in a very roundabout and annoying way. He idly wondered who he was driving mad now as Filch was now gone. Everyone but Peeves was probably happy he was gone, Filch included once he got over the shock.

Harry might not go to Hogwarts anymore, but Neville and Ginny had an annual reunion each and he had not missed one.

"Jelly babies," Harry told the gargoyle, which jumped aside. He could have gotten into the office by claiming it was an emergency, but it wasn't and he had never liked crying wolf.

Dumbledore was doing paperwork. Harry kept a diary of his adventures since he left school (a gift from Sirius with the Marauders' animals on the back and the Patronus forms of his friends along with Shadestar on the front) and he loved filling it in. Watching over the finances of his company was a horse of a different colour. At least it wasn't depressing as well.

Fawkes chirped when he saw him.

"Ah Harry. Come in. Make yourself comfortable."

Harry approached the chair, but decided that it would be a little uncomfortable if their chat went on for a while and he expected it would. One flick of his holly and phoenix wand saw the chair changing into well-worn leather chair.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Professor McGonagall would give you an Outstanding for that Harry."

Harry smiled in response. "I'm going to show her later. She still probably wants me in detention for the Animagus transformation."

"I believe she is going to have you writing lines while transfiguring all the desks and chairs into wolves."

"That seems a little…excessive." Harry really hoped Dumbledore was joking. Still, would being a cat Animagus buy him a little leeway?

"That is what she said when she found out your father did the same. She may choose to add to it."

Harry decided not to think any more on that. He took his seat. "Did you ever become an Animagus professor?"

"I did not. A shame in a way as it would be a wonderful way to see the world from a new perspective. What have your experiences taught you?"

"That humans are the best and worst creatures in existence, no matter where they're from."

"A blunt, yet not incorrect assessment." Dumbledore chuckled. "However, most become jaded when they are older. I must apologise for your years here Harry. I could have handled some of the situations much better."

Harry shrugged. "Too late to do anything about it now. For me anyway. I've heard good things about it recently though." Ginny hadn't heard the word 'mudblood' at all in her final year.

Then again, Draco Malfoy still had that scar on his cheek. He had never learned his lesson and no one was willing to hire him as he had no work ethic. Ironically enough, Harry had ended up having an agreement with his mother about publishing the books she was writing. While he had read one and wasn't his thing, he knew good writing when he read it and quite a few others had enjoyed them, even if they were surprised who the author was. The first one had been a best seller.

It would take a few years to reduce bigotry and accepted bias. At least they were now starting young.

"Indeed."

"In fact, from what I hear, bullying as a whole has gone down."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes. It would seem that Professor Binns is very suitable for overseeing detentions."

Harry joined in the laughing. Even Fred and George had balked at the idea of Binns watching over their detention and them having to pay very close attention or they had to repeat it.

"Are you going to see the other professors while you're here? I'm sure they would like to catch up."

Harry's face slipped into a neutral expression. "A few."

"Such as Professor Lupin?"

Harry had greatly enjoyed Professor Lupin's Defence Against the Dark Arts class and he had no doubt the History of Magic class he now taught would be just as good. But when it came to Lupin, Harry had already made his decision before he left Hogwarts.

"I may drop in to say hi, but I'm not staying for long."

Dumbledore frowned while Fawkes let out a sad caw. "May I ask why Harry? He was a very close friend of your father's."

"He may have been professor. However, he is merely Sirius' friend and a past professor to me."

There had always been one question bothering Harry since he met Professor Lupin. He had asked him once. He could not say he was surprised by the answer, but he had been very disappointed. The one good thing he could say about Lupin now that he couldn't then was that he was honest.

Tonks had been good for him.

 ** _"If Sirius never took Ron into the Whomping Willow…If it had been your choice, would you have ever told me you were close to my father while you were teaching here?"_**

 ** _"…I don't know Harry. As much as I hate to say it, I do not think so. I am sorry."_**

"That is a shame," Dumbledore murmured, snapping Harry out of his memory. "He was very eager to meet you when he first started five years ago."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Then where was he professor? Why did I only hear of him in Third Year and he had no intention of getting to know me? He only turns into a werewolf three nights a month _Headmaster_."

That jab hit home. There was a slight wince from Dumbledore. After everything that had happened, Harry had forgiven him for leaving him at the Dursleys but he had never forgotten it.

There was a brief silence. The next move was Dumbledore's.

"I apologise Harry. I knew they would not treat you the same as their son, which could be considered a mercy, but I did not realise their treatment of you. I had promised them no contact from the Wizarding World."

"Maybe you shouldn't have, Headmaster. They may have behaved like normal people instead of freaks. But that is water under the bridge. They are getting what they deserve now."

The shock of being in a cell for a few days had been enough to terrify Dudley into behaving for a while. That had stuck when Piers Polkiss had been arrested for doing drugs for a lot longer. Harry's company was well-known in the muggle world as well now and people in Surrey recognised the 'delinquent' that was the main financial backer and he was very rich. Petunia and Vernon had had to move away last year due to 'their humiliation'. Having their reputation destroyed was a fate worse than death for them.

 _Good riddance. There's no hope for them, but Dudley at least has another chance. Can't say whether or not he deserves it, but he is spoilt prince and that isn't entirely his fault._

"And what do they deserve Harry?"

Harry folded his arms. This may be the last time he saw Dumbledore and he didn't feel like a naughty child with his hand caught in a cookie jar anymore.

"They are being punished for their actions in the way that would hurt the most. While some-" _Susan_ "-may say they have the chance to change, I know they won't. They'll choose to live in shame."

With a sigh, Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps Harry. But that is their choice."

His agreement made Harry relax. "You told me once that it wasn't our abilities that make us who we are, but our choices."

"Yes. Sometimes, I think we Sort out students too soon. It is often their choice what House they are Sorted into, not what House they are best suited to."

Hogwarts had changed one thing. While there were still Houses and a House Cup (which there was a much stricter code for the professors to follow), they were theoretically separated into Older Years and Younger Years. After all, people changed as the years went by, especially teenagers. The students were able to mingle more freely around all four Houses and the increase of clubs and sports helped in that. There were now new sports that were played in which the teams were made up of all four Houses.

Typical really. Just after he left the school, there were so many improvements.

"I asked for Gryffindor. I've been told I would have made an excellent Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Cedric would have made a good Gryffindor too." He may have been a bit too honest for Harry's time in that House. "Regulus Black would have made a good Gryffindor."

"A boy who made all the wrong choices and tried to make up for it. It is a shame what happened to him. May he rest in peace."

Harry swallowed. "He was an idiot. But that does seem to be the problem for many in the magical world, especially those that were raised in it. Always overlooking options." Kreacher had been _right there_. Regulus deliberately told Kreacher to leave without him. What had that potion shown him? Maybe he was too depressed and he had only been eighteen…

Dumbledore seemed to follow his thoughts. "We may never truly know what his last moments were like for him."

"We stopped Riddle. That was what he wanted."

Sirius had released Kreacher from his service the day Riddle died and had later taken on Winky when she had been freed from her family. She had been in much better condition (which Harry had been worried about as she had been drinking last time she was freed) and Kreacher had gone to work for Narcissa Malfoy. All parties happy, except maybe Draco. He had been furious when he found out Harry had cost his family Dobby and he saw Kreacher as 'disgusting charity'.

"I never said this at the time Harry, but I will now. Thank you for your actions that day. That must have been difficult."

"They were necessary. But I didn't do it for you. I did it to save Sirius."

"I understand. I was thanking you for going along with the plan and going to the Ministry that day."

"You shouldn't. I didn't do it for you. I didn't do it for the Wizarding World. I did it for some of the best friends I ever had and should never have met. Taiyang, Ghira, Kali…Do you know who these people are, Dumbledore? They are the family that they were taken from. The _parents_ that love their kids. Lily and James Potter died _for me._ The rest of you got lucky and you _spat_ on that. I did it for them and while they'll never get the credit they deserve, they got the best prize they could get: going home. I am not going to let _anyone_ spit on them. Just like back then, _you got lucky_!"

The office was silent for a few moments.

Then Fawkes began to sing.

Harry let out a low breath and leaned back in the chair. He hadn't realised he had been leaning forward or that his voice was almost a growl at the end. As the song continued, his anger (grief) faded.

When Harry was calm, Fawkes fell quiet again.

"You need not fear, Mr Potter." The Sorting Hat. "Hogwarts will remember them forever."

That should not comfort him.

But it did.

"Thank you."

"Harry-"

"I'm fine," Harry overrode whatever Dumbledore was going to say. He took a deep breath and changed the subject. "I hear grades at Hogwarts have been on the steady rise as well."

Dumbledore gave him a patient but sad smile. He allowed the new topic. "Indeed. I believe your company deserves some gratitude for that. I have been meaning to ask you about the name."

A smile crept on Harry's features then.

"'Prometheus'? Are you familiar with that story?"

"I cannot say I am."

"I wasn't either. It was Hermione's mother who told it to me." It had taken them a few months to come to terms with everything their daughter had hidden from them. "You should read Greek legends at some point Professor. They're tragic, but interesting."

Prometheus was a titan from Greek mythology. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, then was punished by being chained to a rock with an eagle eating his liver. Harry shook his head slightly. He thought it fitting. Magic was a gift, but also a responsibility. It was a lack of humanity and the thought that some people were entitled to what was not theirs that led to the Wizarding World he was introduced to. The one that hailed his parents and insulted his mother in the same breath.

"I will keep that in mind. Are all the departments going well or just the tutors?"

"Warding's doing well." Mostly because the muggleborns wanted to show their parents what they can do and the Death Eaters left marks on the elders' mind. Nearly all of them had anti-arson wards now. "The lawyers are doing well as well. The products are also easily funding the research aspect."

"Ah. Professor Sprout has high compliments for Neville's work and has even added some of his published work to the curriculum."

Harry laughed. "I bet he was embarrassed." He hadn't long graduated and he stayed until Seventh Year. That must have been a proud achievement; students being taught what he had discovered. He had also been made Head Boy.

"Greatly."

Much of the money did come from the muggle world. It was the simple ideas, like using a Vanishing Charm to improve the performance of a vacuum, which sold the best. Hermione worked there and was interested in moving up the ladder. There were magicals in the liaison office (including Mr Weasley's office) and there were possible scientific explanations that were used if someone was too nosy. They just hadn't perfected that technology yet.

"A pity that no one has successfully managed this company before. I'm sure enough have complained about it."

"They were never able to do anything about it, even those that tried hard."

"Yes. Because of a select few individuals that most allowed to rule the government. The old Ministry did like its cowards and easily manipulated." That still annoyed him.

"That is the truth. We are all human, regardless of whether we have magic, aura or none of it. Most importantly, we all make mistakes. What matters is whether we run from them or try to learn from them. In my case, I would also include that I wasn't aware I was making them."

Harry didn't say anything. Professor Ozpin had explained to him once exactly _why_ he didn't make the same mistakes Professor Dumbledore did. 'Unfair' was the word Harry used. Professor Ozpin had agreed, but he had made his choice back then when it happened to him and he wouldn't change it. He would have sympathy for his successor, whoever that turned out to be.

"However, I can say I am pleased to find you making your way in life Harry."

"Thank you professor."

"If you are interested in fairy tales….Do you know any of the magical ones?"

"A few. Mrs Weasley bought me the book 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'."

Mrs Weasley, needless to say, had not been happy about what her two youngest and husband had been up to that day and she did not care that Riddle was dead as a result. Ron and Ginny had been grounded the whole of next year and Harry guessed there was more.

They had not kept the money they had received for Pettigrew's capture. Mr Weasley had been given a raise already and with all the children set individually, they decided they didn't need it. While they kept some for trips to visit their kids around the world (including Bill who was now back in Egypt), the rest had been used to help rebuild Hogsmeade, now with a branch of Gringotts, courtesy of the goblins. Harry also thought there were more houses, but he wasn't sure.

"Did you enjoy it Harry?"

"Not really. I did find it interesting that the magical world doesn't have an industry for fiction books and yet this existed." Harry had had a different problem with it that most probably didn't. "There was one story that I liked. The one about the three brothers."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah. I thought that one might interest you. It was the Invisibility Cloak that caught your attention, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…Professor, what do you know about my father's cloak? From what I know, it's different than most."

"All I know is that your father inherited it from his father who inherited it from his. As such, it is one of the oldest cloaks in existence. I also recall an incident during James' time in Hogwarts when he was under the cloak and had been backed into a corner by Professor McGonagall. She knew about the cloak and attempted to Summon it, which was unsuccessful. I have not heard of any other cloaks that could do that."

"So…" If he had never met the Remnant group, he wouldn't even consider this as a possibility. "Do you think the story is true?"

Dumbledore hummed. "An interesting question. Perhaps if we look hard enough, there is fact in every story." He placed his wand on the desk. "This wand, for example, has a rather unique history. The one I won it from believed it to be the true Elder wand."

This was not what Harry wanted to hear. "What you think, professor?"

"I know the wand has a very…bloody history."

That didn't answer the question. Harry didn't know why he asked. "But the Resurrection Stone cannot be real."

"Why do you think that?"

"T-That's…It's just ridiculous. Nothing can bring back the dead."

"Bring them back? Perhaps not."

A box that had been invisible a moment before appeared. It was innocently just sitting on the edge of the desk. It wasn't anything special; no designs on it whatsoever. It was just a plain wooden box.

It did fill Harry with dread.

The lid was open. He could see a stone inside.

 _I can talk to mum and dad…_

Harry flipped the lid closed. "You shouldn't show anyone that." Especially not Harry.

"Do you believe the tale is real now Harry?"

Harry walked over to pet Fawkes, who preened under the attention. Again, he began to gently sing.

"I believe the items are real. The story is probably wrong. If I'm wrong, Death will eventually set the record straight." Fairy tales being real was not a great surprise. All stories had to come from somewhere and people's imagination was normally inspired by real events or objects.

That did not mean he was happy about Dumbledore confirming one (the worst one in his opinion) could be true. It did explain so much about his cloak. If it was always in the family, passed down from parent to child, did that mean he was related to the one who created it?

In Harry's opinion, this was the sort of ancestry people should be proud of, not the fact that some searched for their spouses at their family reunions.

"Not many would be able to resist that urge Harry. Quite a few have been driven mad by these items."

"I can see why. It's probably better to never mention them again and let the story die out. I'll meet my parents properly one day and I look forward to it. I'm just not interested in _rushing_ to meet them. I'm going to enjoy life to the fullest."

 _I just hope they'll be as proud of me as Sirius says they would be._

"I'm glad to hear it, Harry."

"Professor, this is one of the things you don't discuss with a teenager. I could have lived without knowing that. You didn't tell me or anyone who needed to know things the things they needed to know."

Ironically, the main example of that had been not telling the DMLE that they had people from another world visiting for whatever reason. In Harry's opinion, they weren't here for Riddle, but they hadn't known that back then.

Now though, Harry couldn't find the effort to get too angry over that.

Dumbledore seemed even older. He looked at the now closed box almost wistfully. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I certainly understand that phrase now."

"Honestly professor, I think you were fighting the war against Dark Lords for too long and your bad decisions contributed to their rise. After all, a leader can't be a leader if no one follows him."

"Everyone deserves a second chance Harry."

"No Headmaster, they don't and definitely not at the expense of the innocent. That is where you always fell down. You seemed to think a blanket forgiveness was the best answer when all it does is tell the person they can do whatever they want."

Harry could still get angry on that topic.

"An old argument Harry. One I had with Professors McGonagall and Snape years ago. I think she could tell you the story better. However, I promise to teach this generation better than the last."

 _As we always should. Do a better job with them than you did with me._

There was only one thing left to say.

"Goodbye Professor Dumbledore."

"Goodbye Harry. Good luck."

Giving Fawkes one last and very grateful pat, Harry nodded respectfully to the Sorting Hat and left the office with a strong sense of inner peace and hope for the future.


	24. Epilogue: Homecoming

**In no way am I connected to RWBY or Harry Potter**

* * *

Ruby was comfortable. She had grown used to that.

She heard Yang yawn from across the room, which was usually their first alarm to get up, if Mercury wasn't already up as he had an ungodly habit of getting up at _dawn_. He hadn't this time; he was next to her.

There was a thump.

With a groan, Ruby rolled over to see what the noise was. Oh. Yang's fists had hit the top bunk of the bunk bed. Not the first time that had happened. Seeing as it still dark out, she rolled over again and intended to go back to sleep. She felt like she had had a really, really long day.

 _Hang on. Bunk beds? And doesn't Yang have her own room?_

Then it clicked.

 _Dad!_

Ruby shot up. She took a good look around. She knew where she was, she _knew._ And if they were back on Remnant, then Ruby wanted to see Dad.

"Emerald?" Mercury's voice came almost immediately after he sat up.

"Yeah, I see her too."

Ruby heard a bark. She grinned as she saw Zwei, who had his front paws on the end of their bed. It took a moment for her to notice who was staring back. It wasn't that she didn't recognise her; Ruby was just very confused.

Talaria had extended her neck and was investigating Zwei just as much as he was investigating her.

"I thought Talaria was staying there," Ruby muttered.

"So did I," Mercury replied. "I thought she was going back to Charlie."

Zwei barked and backed off enough so he could fall back on all fours. Talaria landed next to him and chittered. Zwei barked softly in response and touched his nose to hers. She licked his snout.

"That's the start of a beautiful friendship," Yang chuckled.

"Should I be worried they're getting along so well?" Mercury was now pouting.

"Probably." Yang got up and stretched. She was dressed properly. Ruby glanced down and noticed she had been using her hood as a pillow on her pillow.

Emerald had slipped off the bed, with Mercury following. She searched through her scroll, smiling as she sent a message. "Tai's still up."

Ruby would be perfectly happy to wake him up if he wasn't. If they didn't and he found out about…everything tomorrow, she would be in Trouble. And Uncle Qrow wouldn't even try to bail them out. He would be in Trouble as well.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruby bounced off the bed.

Their happy excursion only lasted until they reached ZBRN's door. After a shared glance, Yang knocked.

Nora answered. She was quiet, but was smiling a little. Ren and Blake were sitting on their beds in a much more sombre mood. No sign of Zephyr.

"Hello~"

"Home sweet home, huh?" Yang asked happily.

Ren and Nora laughed. Ruby didn't know why. Blake chuckled too. What was so funny? She glanced at her Emery, but they just shrugged at her unasked question.

Blake then spotted something. "So Talaria and Zwei like each other."

Ruby nodded with a grin, looking down herself. Talaria was using Zwei as a car, with her claws positioned carefully behind his ears.

"So where are you off to?" Ren asked.

"See Dad," Ruby replied. Obviously.

"You do that," Nora nodded seriously. "We're going to give JWMP a lovely wakeup call."

Ruby very much doubted it would be a 'lovely wakeup call'. At least there would not be any ice involved. Again.

"You do that," Emerald agreed.

They were off again. They all got a message from Uncle Qrow asking if they were okay. They replied they were and were going to see them. It took Ruby a few minutes to remember exactly where in Vale they were going.

Halfway there though, Mercury gave an excuse and slipped off down an alley. Zwei drooped his ears and followed. Confused, Ruby went to follow him when Emerald caught her hand and shook her head gently.

"He'll catch up Ruby," Yang murmured to her. Her mood had dropped.

Talaria landed in Ruby's hood. She let out a gentle croon, trying to calm her. Emerald gave her hand a gentle pull and Ruby followed, staying very close to them both. Her joyous mood soon appeared again.

She couldn't wait to see Dad. Maybe that was why the trip seemed so much longer than she remembered.

Dad and Uncle Qrow were waiting outside.

The first thing Dad did was engulf them all in a huge hug. Ruby was a little pinned in the middle, but Emerald and Yang returned it eagerly enough for her as well. It was a few seconds before they were released.

"You three girls okay?"

"Fine," Emerald replied. She hadn't been fine when they left.

"Four," Yang chirped happily.

Dad wrapped his arm around Emerald, rubbing her arm gently. He looked at Yang. "Four?"

Talaria popped her head out of Ruby's hood then, snarling a little at the rough movement a moment before. Uncle Qrow started chuckling then.

"She came too?"

"Yep," Yang responded happily. "And she gets along with Zwei wonderfully."

"Bet Mercury doesn't like that."

Talaria leaned towards Dad, like she tended to do with everyone she met that the family spent time with. Mercury thought it was the scent. When Dad extended a hand, Talaria carefully climbed on. She liked Dad as well.

"Sounds like quite the story. How about a take away and you tell me all about it? Your uncle is far too happy and we all know that's never a good thing." They all giggled. "Where's Mercury gone?"

"To get the snacks we ate last time," Emerald answered. "He won't be long."

"I'll wait out here for him," Uncle Qrow promised.

"Come on then, girls." Dad flicked Yang's hair, who playfully knocked his hand away. "Let's redecorate the room."

Ruby saluted and headed to the stairs with a skip in her step. Talaria went back into her hood, which got a laugh from Dad for some reason. The three girls exchanged a glance, a shrug and headed up to the correct flat. Ruby called dibs on the bean bag.

They ended up with the bean bag next to a large, fluffy pillow and blanket fort. The armchair was moved to make more of a circle. The bean bag would probably be left empty as the four teens would try to pile into the pillow and blanket fort.

Once they were done, Ruby saw Emerald approach Dad. Her body language was…tense? Ruby tip toed over to eavesdrop.

"Umm…Tai?"

She immediately got Dad's full attention. "Yeah? Something wrong?"

"Well…Something happened. Mercury was injured-" Dad instantly tensed, "-and, while he's better, his eye is still damaged."

Dad was stiff. "Define 'fine' Emerald."

"For us, it's been about seven months and he's fine. He took it a lot better than we did and…"

Dad sighed. "He's fine when he shouldn't be."

"Yeah."

"That's why he slipped off, huh."

"That's what I guess."

Dad took a deep breath. "Okay. So he's fine?" There was a brief quiet. "Definitely?" Another quiet. "Right…That's not good."

"…Yeah."

"When will he arrive?" Emerald didn't respond. "Okay then. How are you Emerald? Really?"

"I'm okay Tai. I mean it."

"Glad to hear it." There was another quiet, but Ruby could hear Emerald approaching. She was about to dash off when she heard Dad again. "Out of curiosity, why is Qrow suddenly being so…?"

"Social?"

"I was going to say 'upbeat', but let's go with that."

"He told us about his Semblance. Ozpin helped Mercury figure it out earlier, so the four of us made him an 'off switch'."

"You managed that? Congratulations."

"…Mercury did most of the work."

"But you all contributed?" There wasn't a verbal response, but Ruby guessed Emerald nodded. "Then that's all that matters. Now I can call that jerk out when he cheats. And Ruby, come help me with the drinks."

 _How does Dad do that?_

As she passed, Emerald exchanged a confused smile with her. She didn't know how Dad knew either. After a brief hug with Emerald, Ruby headed into the kitchen.

"Hi Dad." Ruby gave Dad a hug too.

"Hey Ruby. Things alright with you?"

"Uh huh."

 _I missed you._

He gently rubbed her back before Ruby eventually and very reluctantly let go. "I'm okay Dad. Really."

"I'll be the judge of that Ruby."

Uh oh. That was usually followed by a scolding after whatever stupid but fun thing they had done.

 _And Dad is really not going to like…a lot of this, actually._

It took two trips for Dad and also Yang's help, who Dad also 'borrowed' for a chat, to get all the drinks and empty bowls into the living room. They were expecting pretzels and crisps at the very least. A few minutes afterwards, Yang and Ruby had voted for pizza for supper.

The door opened halfway through them explaining to Emerald why pineapple on a pizza was so good. The only one with a key was Uncle Qrow, who must be back with Mercury.

Dad stood up from where he had settled of the couch and headed over.

Mercury had hesitated when he saw Dad, even if a soft smile immediately appeared on his face. Dad put a hand on his shoulder, but then his other hand reached up.

"You don't want to do that," Mercury muttered softly.

"No, I don't."

Ruby couldn't see what Dad was doing, but she could guess. He had taken the mask off. Mercury shifted his weight, but kept his gaze on Dad.

Then Dad hugged him.

Yang smiled.

When Dad led Mercury over to the pillow and blanket fort that the girls were settled in, the mask was back on. He immediately settled under a few blankets, clearly having no intention of moving. Ruby chose to snuggle onto his back. Emerald and Yang got comfortable on either side of him.

Uncle Qrow took the bean bag. Dad, Zwei and Talaria relaxed on the couch.

It was Friday night.

Ruby had no interest in returning to Beacon until Sunday night.

Finally, her family was whole again.

 _Home again._

The future was looking hopeful.

Even if she probably was going to be grounded for the near future.

* * *

 **AN: This is the end of Veil of War. Thank you very much to everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **For those that are interested, book 3 is called "Order vs Chaos". This returns to the RWBY universe and is up on my profile.**


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